Abstract
I speak today to represent the social and psychological point of view on how interventions can benefit the quality of life of older people. Whether the intervention be pharmaceutical, biotechnological, or nutritional, we must define clearly what aspect of the older person’s life we intend our intervention to benefit. Despite the emphasis of this entire congress on health, I suggest that treating physical illness and its symptoms constitutes only one part of our task. I shall make a case for examining the benefits of any intervention on aspects of the quality of life that go beyond the domain of health. We should also seek subjective quality of life criteria that indicate not only relief from distress but also enhancement of enjoyment and purpose in life.
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Lawton, M.P. (2000). Gerontechnological Interventions and the Health and Quality of Life of Older People. In: Butler, R.N., Jasmin, C. (eds) Longevity and Quality of Life. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4249-0_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4249-0_17
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