In this first chapter a number of basic concepts related to health care and the care of older people are analysed. The analysis focuses particulary on the concepts of quality of life and dignity. These two concepts however, are not the only ones to be considered in a situation of care. There are other values with which we are perhaps better acqainted and which must play an important role. Among these are health, autonomy and integrity. In this chapter i present some of these values and analyse them to a certain extent. This should make it easier to comprehend the more complicated concepts of quality of life and dignity. The discussion of quality of life is included in this first chapter since it is so closely related to health, which is the first concept to be studied. The discussion of dignity is helt over to the next chapter, where it can be explored in greater detail; this is necessary because the analysis is largely original and som of the ideas are presented here for the first time.