[Rehabilitation of the elderly person]

Orthopaedic treatment for the elderly is aimed at enabling these persons to master their life. It includes not only the actual treatment of illness or disability, but also the influence exerted by their environment. Among the main problems aging people encounter in coping with orthopaedic disorders are decreasing adaptability and limitations in their capability to cope with stress situations. Not only the bone itself, but also the motoricity are affected. Physical therapists and physicians must take these factors into account in their efforts to successfully assist these aging people.