Legal and ethical aspects of Danish elder policy--progress, dilemmas, and challenges.

The article deals with the fundamental principles of Danish social and health law: individual rights to basic benefits for all elderly citizens, but also a right to supplementary benefits earned by one's own efforts. The principle of informed consent has been accepted by the medical and legal professions and has, from there, spread to care giving activities within the social services. There are many unsolved ethical and legal problems concerning the care of the frail and vulnerable elderly, especially those who are not capable of giving or refusing consent.