Practical considerations for maintaining independence among individuals with functional impairment

Social workers, gerontologists, and related health professionals must learn to recognize how aging, disability, and chronic illness affects individuals and their families' physical, psychological, and social functioning in order to develop effective interventions for their clients. This article discusses prevention strategies to help facilitate functional consequences of aging, including chronic illness and disease and offers suggestions for assisting clients to cope and manage the consequences of illness in frail elder adults.