ABSTRACT
The author's interest in preventive aspects of geriatric care, and especially in screening and case-finding, was aroused as soon as he became interested in care of the elderly. Case-finding is a form of tertiary prevention in which established disease and resultant disability are sought in order to achieve earlier diagnosis and thus create better prospects for care (or alleviation) and rehabilitation. The customary method of gauging effectiveness of a health care programme is to compare the outcome in test subjects with matched controls and for case-finding schemes the criteria to be studied would include morbidity, mortality and use of resources. Case-finding seems likely to have great possibilities for improving the health and happiness of old people and it is a matter of urgency to determine whether it is an effective preventive measure and how it may best be applied.
