Healthcare and decision-making in dementia Consent to medical
treatment Consent to treatment is covered by section 6 of the
Act on the Status and Rights of Patients, No. 785 of 17 August
1992. According to this Act, patients must be cared for on the
basis of a mutual understanding, which means that they must
consent to treatment. If they refuse a particular treatment, the
doctor must propose another medically acceptable alternative to
which they are in agreement. In certain circumstances, a person
can be treated against his/her will (please refer to the section
on forced internment). Concerning patients who are unable to
consent, section 6.2 and 6.3 of the Act on the Status and Rights
of Patients states: “If a major patient because of mental
disturbance or mental retardation or for other reason cannot
decide on the treatment given to him/her, the legal
representative or a family member or other person closely
connected to the patient has to be heard before making an
important decision concerning treatment to