Abstract
Age‐related changes in health status, including the impact of chronic illness and disability on personal autonomy and lifestyle, represent a significant challenge for older people and health care professionals. As quality‐of‐life considerations assume an increasing role in older persons’ health care decisions, a multidimensional approach is required for the management of chronic illness. The characteristics of specific chronic conditions, the ways older people perceive aging and illness, their expectations about the potential efficacy of treatment, and the capacity of individuals to deal with age‐related changes in functional health are all part of the experience of chronic illness in late life. A personal‐contextual framework is presented in this article as a basis for understanding the interaction of various factors on health status and for developing effective education and intervention strategies.
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