Emergency services use by elderly individuals.

Population predictions suggest that the proportion of elderly people will continue to rise until 1996, will remain constant until 2016, and will continue to rise again. If the current trends continue, the ED will become an increasingly important provider of primary health care for the elderly population. Practitioners, educators, and administrators in emergency medicine should prepare now to meet the growing needs of this population. The high cost and high rate of recidivism by aged ED patients suggest that attention should be paid to appropriateness, continuity, and effectiveness of care. Early social service intervention in the ED may prove beneficial to older patients. In addition, the basic principles of the care of elderly patients should be included in the training curriculum of ED physicians and primary care providers.