ABSTRACT
H e a l t h has its subjective as wel l as its objective aspects. T h e physician makes an assessment of the health of a patient based on the presence of pathology; the patient, however, evaluates his health i n his own way. T h e two evaluations, that of the doctor and that of the patient, sometimes agree; sometimes they do not. A n indiv idual ' s assessment of his health i n o ld age, as i n youth and i n middle age, is based upon various factors, some of w h i c h may be quite separate from medica l ly verified conditions. Some o ld people w i th major or minor impairments think that they are w e l l ; other o ld people w i t h similar complaints think that they are sick.
