[Health and handicaps in the population older than 65 years of age in Basel and Bern].

A preliminary communication is made about an epidemiological survey concerning the habits and problems of the elderly in Switzerland. Special interest is given the aspects of health and competence in the activities of daily life. Data about self-rated health status as well as degree of restriction in the activities of daily life are presented. No sex differences were found in these two dimensions. When looking at the different age groups, perceived health does not vary with age, whereas the frequency of self-rated dependency is nearly eight times higher among those aged 85 + (55.5%) compared to those aged 65--74 (7.4%). Further analyses will test hypotheses about selective mortality, sex role and adaptation to different types of handicaps.