This is the first book to focus on injury in the aging, an area of increasing concern given the rapid rise in the elderly population. Because of this demographic increase and the burgeoning costs of health care, it is crucial to understand the nature of, and responses to, injuries in older people. Trauma and injury in this group present unique clinical problems. Even in those who survive, recovery may not be complete and the associated loss of independence has an enormous impact on society. This volume is a pioneering attempt to distil and summarise our state of knowledge, and to identify those areas where new medical research might help to alleviate or overcome this problem. The contributors span a comprehensive range of clinical and scientific issues pertinent to improving the care of injured elderly patients.