Gaze into the long-term care crystal ball: The Veterans Health Administration and aging.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has provided excellent care for its aging veteran population in the past and has been a leader in the development of academic geriatrics in the United States. Over the next decade we can expect to see the VHA recognize the need to integrate its services for the older veteran with those available in the community. As the VHA once again redesigns itself to meet the needs of its aging veterans, we can expect it will evolve into a model health care system for older persons that may well become the prototype for eldercare in the United States.