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Previous Volume 352:750-752 February 24, 2005 Number 8 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The graying of America, a triumph of medical and cultural advances, has caught us unprepared. Our economic system, burdened with Social Security, Medicare, and extended retirement years, is shaking. Our legal system may be overwhelmed by the choosing of surrogates to make health care and end-of-life decisions, evaluations of competence, and the issuing of advance directives. Our health care system is challenged by the sheer number of elderly people and the demands of providing cost-effective care to those who are frail.

For the elderly, health is the foundation of a good quality of life — the obvious reason that the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Dr. Libow is a professor at the Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System of New York and a professor of geriatrics and adult development at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine — both in New York.

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