Aging and becoming vulnerable
Monod, S.éf.; Sautebin, A.
Revue Medicale Suisse 5(226): 2353-2357
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 1660-9379 PMID: 20052868 Document Number: 10824
"The vulnerable are those whose autonomy, dignity and integrity are capable of being threatened". Based on this ethical definition of vulnerability, four risk factors of vulnerability might be identified among elderly persons, and are described in this article: the functional limitation, the loss of autonomy, the social precariousness and the restriction of access to medical care. A clinical case of elderly abuse is presented to illustrate vulnerability. Finally, some recommendations to lower the risk of vulnerability in elderly persons are proposed.
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