A Guide for Readers

The Merck Manual of Health & Aging is organized into 4 sections and 66 chapters. Understanding this organization will help readers navigate the book.

Sections

The first section, "Fundamentals of Aging," covers three topics that set the stage: why aging occurs, how aging affects specific parts of the body, and how aging is changing the United States and world population.

The second section, "Caring for Self and Others," shines a light on topics that help people become more active in caring for themselves or a loved one. Topics include preventive care, healthy nutrition, appropriate use of drugs, and the wide array of diagnostic tests and complementary and alternative therapies. Also included are topics about obtaining and organizing care, including communicating with doctors and other health care practitioners, a review of the continuity of health care in different settings, caregiving, and palliative and end-of-life care.

The third section, "Medical Conditions," focuses on how disorders are different in older adults rather than discussing all aspects of disease. Some of the disorders discussed occur nearly exclusively in older adults; others occur more commonly in older adults. Still others occur in all age groups but are different in older adults.

The fourth section, "Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues," addresses several challenging, practical concerns relating to health and health care, including coping with change, driving, intimacy in relationships, mistreatment, legal and ethical issues, and the many ways of paying for health care.

Chapters

Some chapters in Medical Conditions describe a single disorder or condition, such as delirium or falls. Others describe related disorders, such as mouth and dental disorders or heart valve disorders. In either case, the discussion usually begins with a brief definition. The information that follows is typically organized under causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and outlook.

Additional Information

Some chapters contain a link to an in-depth discussion or a more technical explanation of a topic. Readers may choose to read more by following links introduced by the statement "For additional detail on this topic, see..."

Medical Terms

Medical terms are often provided, usually in parentheses after the common term.

Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic tests are mentioned throughout the book. In addition, chapter 5 explains several commonly used tests, including information about what a person is likely to experience when undergoing a test.

Illustrations, Sidebars, Tables

The many illustrations, sidebars, and tables help explain material in the text or give additional, related information.

Drug Information

Individual drugs are always referred to by their generic name, rather than by their brand or trade names.

Scattered throughout the book are many drug tables, identified by an Rx symbol. These drug tables provide additional information about a class or group of drugs.

Doses can be affected by age, sex, weight, height, the presence of more than one disorder, and the use of other drugs. Therefore, drug doses are not provided.

Essays

Twenty-five essays, accompanied by photographs of their authors, are included. The authors share their personal views and insights about aging and its effects on something they love. A few of the authors are famous; most are not.