[Current perspectives on health care for the older adult]

Standing up to the challenges of aging requires a coordinated strategy, disseminating a geriatric focus among all the specialty areas that serve the older adult. This article addresses the reasons that justify this focus and covers the objectives, goals, and methods currently being proposed to develop the approach. Preventive and curative actions, but most importantly, the overall care of seniors and improvements to their functional status, are priorities for securing a better quality of life in old age.