Healthy Aging: Challenges and Solutions

Synopsis

More and more Americans are living long enough to experience the chronic ills of old age. The fastest growing segment of our elderly, those aged 85 and over, will triple in number from 3.3 million today to more than 10 million by the year 2030. Our current health care system was never designed to care for a such a population—one in which the average lifespan is now 76 and rapidly increasing. Even Medicare is based on an acute—care model most appropriate for younger people. In Healthy Aging: Challenges and Solutions, the nation's leading experts, researchers, analysts, and educators present their frustrations, findings, insights, and recommendations on what current research reveals about the promise of healthy aging, how we are unprepared for the long—term chronic needs of an aging population, and why we need to rethink how the nation spends health care dollars. Edited by Dr. Ken Dychtwald, one of the nation's foremost visionaries and leading authorities on the aging of America, this anthology will open your eyes to our nation's lack of readiness to meet the staggering health care needs of an aging society, and what must be done to head off the fast—approaching health care logjam.

David O. Staats

This book describes contemporary geriatrics and the future of healthcare for older persons, including prevention strategies. The purpose is to describe what is known about caring for older persons from an epidemiologic perspective as well as from an organizational perspective in providing healthcare, and strategies for preventing illness and maintaining function. The audience includes geriatricians, geriatric nurses, healthcare administrators, legislators, and the The quality of the contributing authors and the organization of this book are its greatest strengths. The description of the challenges of contemporary geriatrics and the organization of healthcare for older persons is first rate. The subsequent discussion of preventive strategies has a somewhat simplistic view of the world that limits the effectiveness of the conclusions. Overall, this is a very worthwhile and stimulating work.