['Our future selves'. Comments on "Human services and delivery systems']

A description is given of the recommended research topics on Human Services and Delivery Systems for the Aging. Fifteen different fields of research attention are described. It is stated that there is a lack of a frame of reference for the different attention fields. This frame of reference is necessary for a more systematic approach towards the age specific problems and the age specific services, needed to solve those problems. The systematic approach can be found in a three-dimensional scheme in which the fifteen attention fields have their logical place. The recommanded research topics have to be assessed in this frame: 1. Socio-cultural aspects. Culture, religion, ethics, communication, education, recreation, civic participation. 2. Socio-economic aspects. Economic support, employment, legal services, commerce. 3. Physical environment. Physical Environment, nutrition, transportation. 4. Human environment. This aspect is not mentioned in the report. 5. Psychological aspects. 6. Physical aspects. These aspects are not explicitly mentioned in the report, but implicitly in the chapter about Health. Some of the recommendations are also relevant for the situation in the Netherlands. The recommended research on the health care system is critisized, because the items are too complex. For the Netherlands it is more worthwhile to do fundamental research on the age-specific vulnerability in relation to social, psychological and physical aspects. The results of that research can be used for a reconstruction of the whole health care system for the aged.