The graying of America. Opportunities for physical therapy.

The "graying" of America has riveted the attention of policy makers in the United States on the potential specter of an excess population of sick, poor, disabled, aged Americans. The purpose of this article is to review demographic changes occurring in the United States and their effects on the increasing prevalence of disability among the elderly population. Fries' compression-of-morbidity formulation, which hypothesizes longer, healthier life spans, is used to highlight the opportunities and responsibilities for physical therapists to assert strong leadership in the area of health care promotion. Physical therapy is a key profession that could assume responsibility for developing scientifically based programs that postpone the dysfunctional manifestations of chronic disabling illness among aged individuals.