Frailty is associated with low energy, slow walking speed, poor strength and a person with frailty is therefore at higher risk of adverse outcomes such as hospital admissions, increased need for care, and of course death.
The following factors are known as the five common ‘Frailty Syndromes’:
- Falls e.g. collapse, legs give way, found lying on the floor)
- Immobility (being ‘off their feet” and the deterioration in health that results from being immobile)
- Delirium (or acute confusion/short-term memory loss)
- Incontinence (e.g. new onset or worsening of urinary or faecal incontinence)
- Harmful side effects of medication
BGS Joining the Dots – A blueprint for preventing and managing frailty in older people.pdf
It is also important to recognise that the decline in physical ability that comes with frailty may mean that the person becomes housebound, which is a risk factor for loneliness, and that loneliness itself is a risk factor for depression, poor sleep, impaired thinking skills, higher use of health care with more GP visits, higher use of medication, and higher incidence of falls.
Frailty can present in people who are younger than 65, especially in those with multiple long-term conditions, and it can also occur in the absence of long-term conditions.