Sexuality and the Human Rights of Persons With Dementia

•We explore barriers to enjoyment of human rights to sexuality of persons with dementia and remedies for addressing these.•Persons with dementia living at home or in care face systemic barriers to enjoyment of sexuality fueled by ageism, apathy and ignorance, compounded by complex legal barriers relating to consent. This can be tackled with awareness raising and education of care staff, families and physicians, including training for capacity assessment using a dimensional, noncategorical conceptualization of capacity, leaving room for supported decision-making.•Stakeholder education strengthened by legislative and human rights frameworks catering to the specific needs of older people may allow people to exercise their human rights to enjoy sexuality in a safe and lawful manner. We explore barriers to enjoyment of human rights to sexuality of persons with dementia and remedies for addressing these. Enjoyment of sexuality is contingent upon actualization of rights to dignity, autonomy, respect for will and preferences, abuse safeguarding and equitable access to highest standards of sexual health. Persons with dementia living at home or in care face systemic barriers to enjoyment of sexuality fueled by ageism, apathy and ignorance, compounded by complex legal barriers in relation to consent. Such challenges can be tackled with awareness raising and education of care staff, families and physicians, including training for capacity assessment with dimensional, noncategorical conceptualization of capacity, leaving room for supported decision-making. These measures, together with strengthened legislative and human rights frameworks to cater to the specific needs of older people, may allow people to live well with dementia and exercise their human rights to enjoy sexuality in a safe and lawful manner.