Establishing Benchmarks for Quality Care for an Aging Population: Caring for Vulnerable Older Adults
Authors: Linda P. Fried
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Editorials4 November 2003Establishing Benchmarks for Quality Care for an Aging Population: Caring for Vulnerable Older AdultsLinda P. Fried, MD, MPHLinda P. Fried, MD, MPHFrom The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Baltimore, MD 21205.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-9-200311040-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail We are experiencing a demographic revolution, the aging of the United States and populations worldwide. Soon 20% of the U.S. population will be older than 65 years of age, and people will be living one third of their lives after retirement. Those 85 years of age and older are the most rapidly increasing segment of our population and contribute to the large subset of older adults that are highly vulnerable to adverse health outcomes, including disability, dependency, and death. Among the 95% of people 65 years and older living in the community, approximately one third can be considered highly vulnerable ...References1. Reuben DB, Borok GM, Wolde-Tsadik G, Ershoff DH, Fishman LK, Ambrosini VL, . A randomized trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment in the care of hospitalized patients. N Engl J Med. 1995;332:1345-50. [PMID: 7715645] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Stuck AE, Aronow HU, Steiner A, Alessi CA, Bula CJ, Gold MN, . A trial of annual in-home comprehensive geriatric assessments for elderly people living in the community. N Engl J Med. 1995;333:1184-9. [PMID: 7565974] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Boult C, Boult LB, Morishita L, Dowd B, Kane RL, Urdangarin CF. A randomized clinical trial of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:351-9. [PMID: 11347776] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Cohen HJ, Feussner JR, Weinberger M, Carnes M, Hamdy RC, Hsieh F, . 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Fried, MD, MPH, 2024 East Monument Street, Suite 2-700, Baltimore, MD 21205; e-mail, [email protected]edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Quality of Medical Care Provided to Vulnerable Community-Dwelling Older Patients Neil S. Wenger , David H. Solomon , Carol P. Roth , Catherine H. MacLean , Debra Saliba , Caren J. Kamberg , Laurence Z. Rubenstein , Roy T. Young , Elizabeth M. Sloss , Rachel Louie , John Adams , John T. Chang , Patricia J. Venus , John F. Schnelle , and Paul G. 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