ABSTRACT
Industrialised countries have experienced a dramatic increase in the relative as well as the absolute number of people aged 65 or over in their populations. In most of these countries the proportion of the population over the age of 65 is greater than 10 per cent. Butler (1979) has aptly described this phenomenon as ‘The Graying of Nations’. These demographic changes have placed considerable strain on health services, as the elderly are major users of a nation’s health resources.
