Healthcare of the Older Person and Frailty

The British Geriatric Society defines Frailty as “a distinctive health state related to the ageing process in which multiple body systems gradually lose their in-built reserves.”


It is a clinical syndrome characterised by a physiological vulnerability to minor stressor events (e.g. infection, new medication etc) resulting in poor resolution of homeostasis afterwards.


This means that following a minor insult or health challenge, individuals living with frailty are:

  • More likely to take longer to recover
  • More likely to lose functional independence
  • Less likely to return to their previous baseline than their non-frail counterparts.


    • Around 10% of people aged over 65 years have frailty, rising to between 25-50% of those over 85 years.


    More information, referral guidance and resources will be added to this page in the coming months. Please let us know what other resources you might find useful here

    Publication date: February 21

     

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