A Shared Understanding of Care
Frailty needs to be taken seriously, but the topic is often avoided. Individuals and families may not ask their doctors about it due to a negative stigma or a misguided idea that frailty is a the same as old age. Care providers tend to focus on what is familiar to them, and thus avoid talking about frailty. When frailty is not discussed in plain, accurate and respectful terms, there is a tendency for families and caregivers to use default terminology that reinforce negative stereotypes about older age.
As we live out our lives, all of us tend to acquire new health problems, and we learn to cope with them. In frailty research, we call these “deficits”. We know that deficits accumulate gradually and silently over the years without any major consequence. Frailty results when deficits accumulate and reach a critical point of increased vulnerability. This makes us more susceptible to acquiring new deficits, and it becomes more difficult to maintain independence. This is when the syndrome of frailty, along with its component issues, become more obvious. Understanding frailty and its components opens the door to further understanding and better decisions about prevention, care and support.
Making Better Decisions
Measuring frailty can help make a difference to an person’s life. Some frailty measures simply help find out whether frailty is present. Other measures also show the severity of frailty, which helps anticipate and personalize future scenarios. Multidimensional measures such as the Edmonton Frail Scale provide a breakdown of the particular areas of concern. This opens up the discussion to practical step forward.
At an earlier stage, we encourage each individual to
Make a personalized care and support plan
Participate in regular physical activity
Make nutrition a priority
Estimate and track the severity of frailty
Learn more about specific aspects of frailty
As frailty progresses, individuals should
Match proposed treatments with their overall goals
Consider lower risk alternatives for procedures
Access processes of care that minimize harm
Involve individuals and teams that specialize in the care of older adults
