Future perfect

Shrunken and frail as winter birds, a tiny man and woman negotiate the short walkway and stairs to the geriatric day hospital at UTMB, Galveston. The man has one hand on his cane, the other his wife's arm--whether for gallantry or his own support is not clear. Nor is it immediately clear, once inside, that they've entered a hospital rather than a senior citizens center. Created to fill the multiple needs of a specific population, the day hospital is a modest experiment that may harbinger the future for health care delivery.