Adult protection

Swiss adult protection law applies when an adult’s ability to act or look after personal, financial or legal matters is impaired, for example by illness, disability, addiction or age-related decline. The system seeks self-determination first, using advance care directives and patient decrees where available. If private help is insufficient, the authority may order tailored measures such as curatorship. Interventions must be necessary and proportionate, preserving as much autonomy as possible while protecting the person from serious harm or exploitation.