A.G.W. Whitfield

Observations on the Medical Condition of Men in the Seventh Decade

Chute, A. L., and Bain, H. W. (1956). Ibid., 74. 994. Duncan, L. J. P., Baird. J. D., and Dunlop, D. M. (1956). BrIt. med. J., 2. 433. Engleson, G., and Lehmann, 0. (1956). Lancet, 2, 786. Hunt, J. A., Oakley, W., and Lawrence, R. D. (1956). Brit. med. J., 2, 445. McKenzie, J. M., Marshall, P. B., Stowers, J. M., and Hunter, R. B. (1956). Ibid., 2, 448. Murray. I., and Wang, I. (1956). Ibid., 2. 452. Walker, 0., Leese, W. L. B.. and Nabarro, J. D. N. (1956). Ibid., 2, 451. Wolff. F. W., Stewart, G. A., Crowley, M. F., and Bloom. A. (1956). Ibid., 2, 440. Wrenshall, 0. A., and Best, C. H. (1956). Canad. med. Ass. J., 74, 968. Young, F. G. (1956). Brit. med. J., 2. 431.

Contributions and Demands of Elderly Men.

In a previous communication (Edwards, McKeown, and Whitfield, 1959) observations on a representative group of men aged 70 and over were used to assess the frequency of disease and disability according to age. Broadly it was concerned with the implications of ageing from the point of view of the individual, and the discussion included a brief account of the chief sources of pleasure and discomfort in old age. In the present report, data obtained in the same investigation are used to examine the significance of ageing from the point of view of the community. For this purpose we have considered two questions: To what age can men contribute to the community? And what are the services which they require from it? As an index of the potential contribution of elderly men we have used the proportion fit for fulltime work. This may be thought an exacting test, particularly in the highest age groups in which the question of gainful employment scarcely arises. But the proportion fully employed is by no means negligible-it will be shown that in Birmingham it was 1 in 5 for men aged 70 and over-and for the purpose of presenting a broad picture of the contribution and demands of the elderly, it seemed the most satisfactory index. Appraisal of fitness for part-time employment is incomparably more difficult, since it may include anything from trivial to substantial amounts of work. For the present purpose we are not, of course, influenced by the conventional age of retirement. In assessing the services required by elderly men, we have considered medical care, technical nursing, basic nursing, and domestic help.