Successful aging. How increased life expectancy and medical advances are changing geriatric care.

If the unprecedented increase in life expectancy has a downside, it is the exposure of risk to chronic age-related disorders. As clinicians work to foster healthy aging, we must also seek ways to prevent the disabling disorders that keep many older persons from enjoying their longevity. The high prevalence of chronic illness and functional limitation among older persons underscores the need for strategically directed health and social services. Successful patient management must extend beyond diagnosis and disease treatment and include promotion of function and prevention of decline. Achieving this goal requires a seamless continuum of management and interdisciplinary caregiving. There also must be a focus on improving the understanding of the science of aging. New treatment approaches for managing aging may one day include cognitive enhancers, designer hormones, telomerase, antioxidants, and gene therapy.