[Sense and possibilities of prevention in advanced age: psychosocial aspects]

Cardiovascular diseases have multifactorial causes, as has been shown, and as has been demonstrated via an interactional model. These multifactorial causes must be counteracted by means of multidimensional preventive or rehabilitation measures. Intervention in cardiovascular patients requires interdisciplinary cooperation. Studies conducted so far on rehabilitation of cardiovascular patients have rarely included persons over 60 years of age. This may be explained in part by a poor image of elderly people that exists in the minds of many, discouraging intervention as hardly promising and hence useless. However, persons of an advanced age in particular stand greatly in need of being factually informed at an early date by the physician; such information has a significant influence on the way they can experience and cope with the disease. They must be placed in a position to realise the existing possibilities and limitations to influence their status by means of their attitude, and to look to the future. Successful (secondary) preventive care of elderly persons must also include physical training (kinesitherapy) and psychological aspects when changing dietary habits. On the whole, we are still in need of more research on the problem of possible interventions in cardiovascular patients in general and aged patients in particular. The results of psychological fundamental research in gerontology and intervention supply only few pointers to combatting cardiovascular disease in the elderly. It is however emphasised that psychological measures can merely supplement the medical ones, such supplementation having become so important by now that one should practically not do without it any longer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)