Access to Care for Elderly Persons

Access to appropriate care for elderly persons for cardiovascular diseases is still a major problem for some segments of the population and some geographic regions. The problem of access can be defined in terms of three principle components: 1) lack of personal resources (insurance); 2) inadequate facilities (hospitals, clinics and medical personnel; and 3) inappropriate withholding of care (principally due to ethnic or culturally-based biases). Solutions to these defined problem components can be planned along the same lines and will require pooling of federal, state, and local government resources; education of the lay public; improved professional education; and raising the level of tolerance for substandard practices based upon peer review and the promulgation of standards of practice via guidelines.