Identifying frailty is about resilience.
Frailty is a health state related to the ageing process. A person finds that they have less built-in reserve. From a health perspective, frailty means that there is less resilience under stress. For example, there is less room for error when a person becomes ill or is undergoing medical procedures.
The state that we call frailty often develops quietly and may not be known to anyone except under stressful conditions. As this state progresses over time, a syndrome of frailty starts to emerge, with features that can be recognised by health care professionals. These features are unique to an individual. It may include any combination of problems with strength, nutrition, daily activities, cognition, and continence. The number of medical problems and medications may be rise. A person may find that they don’t have the same resources and feel socially isolated. Frailty is a strong predictor of adverse outcomes in the later years, and therefore should factor into health care decisions.
What frailty means to you.
Frailty is a slippery term with several meanings. It might mean one thing to you and something else to your neighbor, a researcher or a healthcare professional. When a doctor or nurse use the term frailty, it likely means that they have detected aspects of health status to be more vulnerable. It doesn’t mean that they are judging a person’s character as “fragile” or “delicate”.
Older adults should resist the use of term “frailty”, if it justifies discrimination on the basis of age (ie. ageism). However, appropriate use of the term frailty can actually help avoid ageism. After all, frailty can develop at any age. Like other health states, frailty should be of most interest to the individual who lives with it. Each person has a right to know when they are experiencing a pattern of frailty, as this can help them make choices that are best aligned with their own circumstances and values.
After 20 years of research, frailty is now much better understood and can be more easily measured. Our society has been learning how to remove the stigma associated with other conditions such as cancer, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. As research now turns its attention to the prevention and treatment of frailty, there is an opportunity to speak in plain and respectful terms. This is done to help improve the health and independence of individuals who live with frailty, and help them make informed decisions.
