Ageing and mental problems in the family context

Family doctors have substantially contributed to extending life expectancy beyond the biblical allocation of three score years and ten, and, ironically, we may now find ourselves having to cope with problems in the aged for which our training has not adequately equipped us. The topic of mental disorders in the aged provides for discussion of various relevant issues in geriatric care such as diagnostic problems and difficulties (seen not only in their psychiatric context, but also in their medical and social contexts); difficulties in management; the significance of losses sustained in later life, both within the context of the family and in other support systems; the general practitioner's role in management; and, finally, the attitude of the doctor toward the aged.