In virtually all the developed countries of the Western world, people
are living longer and reproducing less. At the same time, costs for the
care of the elderly and infirm continue to rise dramatically. Given
these facts, it should come as no surprise that we are experi- encing an
ever-increasing concern with questions relating to the proper care and
treatment of the aged. What responsibilities do soci- eties have to
their aging citizens? What duties, if any, do grown chil- dren owe their
parents? What markers should we use to determine one's status as
"elderly"? Does treatment of pain in aged patients present special
medical and/or moral problems? How can the com- peting claims of
autonomy and optimal medical care be reconciled for elderly persons who
require assisted living? When, if ever, should severely demented
patients be included in nontherapeutic clinical tri- als? These
questions, and others of similar interest to those con- cerned with the
proper treatment of the aged, are discussed in depth in the articles
included in this text. The essays in this volume of Biomedical Ethics
Reviews fall loosely into two broad categories. The first four
articles-those con- tributed by Sheila M. Neysmith, Allyson Robichaud,
Jennifer Jackson, and Susan McCarthy-raise general questions concerning
the propri- ety of Western society'S current mechanisms for dealing with
and treat- ing elderly citizens. The remaining four articles-those by
Simon Woods and Max Elstein, Marshall B.