Neuropsychological Evaluation of Decision-Making Capacity in Older Adults

The purpose of this article is to examine the neuropsychology of decision making in the elderly. Topics covered include diagnostic considerations, basic issues (e.g., terminology), ethical and legal issues, and guidelines for competency/capacity evaluations. The intended audience is those with some familiarity with clinical psychology and neuropsychological assessment. As our society is aging, psychologists are likely to increasingly evaluate elderly clients, and capacity issues are likely to be salient in many of these cases.