Since the early 20th century, the concept that every adult patient of sound mind shall have the right to decide what shall be done with his own body has gradually become the rule. This theme, which lawyers call self-determination and philosophers call autonomy, is the founda¬tion of the legal and ethical doctrine of informed consent. [...]
In most jurisdictions, older patients are eligible for a range of age-based and needs-based services. In every state, the elderly are eligible for Medicare (see FINANCING HEALTH CARE in Ch. 110 and Ch. 114). The type of physician and hospital visits and the range of services (ie, eyeglasses, medications, hearing aids) that Medicare will cover [...]
Because of gradually increasing cognitive deficits, elderly persons are more likely to need help managing financial and personal care plans. They are also more likely to be challenged legally on plans and preferences that may seem strange or bizarre to others or that conflict with the self-interest of prospective heirs or other persons. Specifically, elderly [...]
An elderly patient has the same legal rights as any other adult patient who is not congenitally retarded or who has not been declared incom¬petent by a court. Yet elderly patients are more likely to have their legal rights abrogated because they are more likely to be alone and isolated, poor, demented, and institutionalized. They [...]
Many elderly persons living alone have chronic health problems that challenge their independence. Of those living alone, 50% are hyperten¬sive, 54% have vision or hearing problems, and 59% have arthritis. In addition, those who have limited social support are more vulnerable to a rapid decline in health and well-being. Nutrition Good nutrition is a special [...]
About ]h of the nearly 30 million noninstitutionalized elderly persons in the USA live alone. The very old are most likely to live alone; almost half of those > 85 yr old do so. Of the elderly living alone, 78% are women. Married men are more likely to die before their wives, and widowed and [...]
1. Percentage of elderly persons in 1989 who lived alone and were below or near poverty level. (Source: US Senate Special Committee on Aging, the American As¬sociation of Retired Persons, the Federal Council on the Aging, and the US Administration on Aging, Aging America: Trends and Projections 1991 Edition, based on Bureau of the Census, [...]
About ]h of the nearly 30 million noninstitutionalized elderly persons in the USA live alone. The very old are most likely to live alone; almost half of those > 85 yr old do so. Of the elderly living alone, 78% are women. Married men are more likely to die before their wives, and widowed and [...]
Among industrialized countries, Canada and Sweden have well-developed (although imperfect) systems of long-term care. The USA is unique in that its long-term health care system does not protect the el¬derly against either chronic disability or impoverishment. The phenom¬enon of spending down to become eligible for government-paid long-term care is found only in the USA. TABLE [...]
Home and family situations, satisfaction with life, employment and health status, and availability and use of health care services all have an impact on quality of life. A recent study conducted in five countries (Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and the USA) of 900 elderly people in each country living at home disclosed the following [...]
