ABSTRACT
Health care providers and organized institutions have learned that services can best be offered and research developed by giving careful attention to the needs and requests of the elderly; important education comes about by listening to the elderly population. It is now necessary to bring into the context wide and frequently disparate points of view among providers, recipients, third-party payers, and institutions that provide and govern such services. The past several generations in the people western culture have given little attention to the care of, services for, or, for that matter, respect for senior citizens. Fortunately, recognizing aging as a process rather than a defined "stage" offers more opportunities for care giving and opens many doors for educating the public on how to deal with senior citizens. It is important that the people not label conditions “pathological” too quickly. In the immature child’s mind, ideas of reference, fantasy, and delusions are expected; they are considered healthy and within normal development.
