Three trends put frail elderly in peril.

THREATS TO THE ELDERLY Threats to those of advanced age flow from three sources: demographic change, the loss of integrity of the family, and the distortion of values by money. Demographic Change Fifty years ago, men and women 85 years old or older were a rarity in the United States. But the 1990 census revealed 3 million such persons. One million of these were 90 or older and 36,000 were centenarians. Very old persons are now common, and will become more so. Demographers project that, by 2030, 2 percent of our population, or about 8.1 million persons, will be 85 years of age or older. Loss of Family Integrity The impact of a dependent aged relative on family relationships has become a widely recognized concern. Daughters in their seventies now find themselves responsible for aged parents, as well as for their own children and grandchildren. Pressures are high and responses vary. We all know of instances in which individuals have had to make substantial personal sacrifices to sustain their families. The opposite happens as well. Some years a g o , when I was serving a medical rotation in a New York City Dr. Brickner