The Frail Elderly: Problems, Needs, and Community Responses

Elderly issues currently inspire a great deal of research, discussion, and public policy debate. Cox's informative, comprehensive, and sensitive consideration of an especially vulnerable elderly segment--the frail--makes a genuine contribution to the understanding of frailty that must guide support systems and public policy. Issues addressed in this work include not only the consequences of frailty but also its prevention. The forms of support or assistance which some older individuals require as their limitations increase are detailed. Mental health concerns, health care, housing, and caregiving, are discussed, with particular attention given to the needs of ethnic elderly. Community programs, many of them highly creative and effective, are reviewed. Insights are gained from experiences in other countries. The pressing need for a better understanding of what actually constitutes frailty is emphasized. Such understanding is seen as a prerequisite for more effective community response and improved national policy. This is a balanced, informed, and practical analysis of a socially compelling and broadly experienced issue and human condition.