[Advice on scientific research on the aged person]

A few years ago, the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Welfare inaugurated a Planning group to establish a scientific program for research on ageing. This contribution gives comment on this advice just published. In general the program will only be used to a certain extent. The planning group advises to inaugurate another steering committee, that should control the research itself and its evaluation. The commentators hope that this steering committee will be enabled to apply the program in a fairly independent way. Why: because the advice lacks a strong structure. It is clear that the gerontological field is such a vast area, that it is impossible to do research on all topics. Therefore, we need some more clear alternatives to choose between. The commentators stress three different alternatives: 1. the fundamental research in bio-medical as well as in behavioural sciences; 2. the major practical problems of ageing people and their support; 3. accent on development of methods and measures. The comment emphasizes also the conditions for research-education at university level and the stimulation of grants for developing new research projects. In addition, some remarks are made about the composition of the planning group. Unfortunately, in that group the medical practitioner and the psychologist were missing.