Health care of the elderly in Egypt.

Elderly people are a vulnerable group and they should be recognised as a specific group for the purpose of health delivery services and health promotion. Health care services for the elderly need to be fully integrated with primary health care. Primary health care approaches should be directed to emphasize the preventive concept of disease considering its limitation in different countries. Institutional long term care services should be provided only after other approaches have been explored, e.g. day care hospital and family care. Education and training of professional personnel is necessary for prevention of disease as well as for improving quality of care.