Energy Metabolism in the Elderly

In a discussion of energy metabolism in the elderly, we ought to try to be modestly précise about what exactly is meant by the "elderly." There is enough individual variation among a group of elderly people who are ail of the same âge to create difficult problems and if we lump together the whole âge range from 65 years onward (as is frequently done in tables of energy and nutrient requirements), it is really impossible to be précise about anything. We should start therefore by subdividing our group of elderly people, and a minimum subdivision—and probably not an adéquate one—is into two groups, one being the "young elderly," aged from 65 to 74 years, and the other the "older elderly," who are people 75 years or older. Almost certainly in a few years' time, when the number of really old people becomes considerably increased, we shall hâve to hâve a subdivision ofthe "older elderly" into people from 75 up to 84 years, and from 85 onward. It may also be useful to hâve a categorization, independent of âge, for elderly people who are free-living and those who live permanently in institutions (i.e., residential homes, long-stay hospital wards, or nursing homes for the elderly). However, having made those suggestions, it will soon become apparent that the relative absence of définitive data makes it difficult to use any type of subdivision at ail adequately.