Coping with chronic disease, dying and death--a contribution to competence in old age.

This article reports empirical studies investigating coping with chronic disease, dying and death in the later years. The coping process is seen as a characteristic of "competence" in old age, as the investigations demonstrate that old people are very often able to adjust to crises and restrictions caused by disease, and at the same time maintain a stable perspective. The studies show that coping with chronic disease, dying and death are highly influenced by biography, by subjective evaluation of the past, present and future, and by access to a supportive intra- and extrafamilial network. This article discusses central concepts, such as "competence", "cognitive representation", "future perspective" and "coping", followed by a summary of empirical studies conducted by the author and investigates different groups of patients.