A specialist in elder care, Dr. Muriel Gillick examines the complications of lives lived far longer than ever before. This book aims to help the frail elderly and their families cope with the often unforeseen dilemmas of aging: the most common chronic ailments, the acute problems, and their impact on living options. Tracing the stories of four people, Dr. Gillick highlights the various challenges and decisions that arise when frailty develops and discusses the importance of prevention and social responsibility in assessing, treating, and living with frailty. "[G]ives me hope that if the worst should come, there is help to be found and meaning to be derived."—John Kotre, author of Make It Count