Attitudes to rehabilitation of older people, particularly in departments specializing in care of the elderly, have become increasingly positive in recent years. A growing number of professionals see the speciality as a necessary career experience, and this needs encouragement if the professions are to be prepared for the increasingnumber of older people who will require help from their members. The purpose of this book is to bring together the skills and experience of experts in several fields of rehabilitation to provide a primer for those needing the knowledge of how to manage the olderperson in whatever environment or speciality they present. Readers will be able to enhance their own knowledge already gained in a variety of fields, and play an immediate part in the team. The information will also be of value to interested carers, agencies contributing to the widened provision of ser­ vice to older people, and their purchasers. The continuing transformation of healthcare delivery world-wide, resulting from changing user and provider expectations and govem­ ment policies, is altering approaches to and delivery of rehabilitation services. These current and envisaged future changes are addressed by each discipline, using the UK National Health Service as an example.