people may live for years with one or more chronic, potentially disabling conditions. This means they will have an ongoing need for medical services.
No single characteristic describes an older patient. Each person has a different view of what it means to be old. A 68-year-old woman with an active consulting business is likely to deal with a visit to the doctor quite differently from her frail 88-year-old aunt who rarely ventures beyond her neighborhood.
The perspectives that follow are common among older people—and important to consider when talking with older patients.