Search results for "frail elderly"

Association of frailty with fall events in older adults: A 12-year longitudinal study in Korea

2022

Background: Evidence has shown that frailty is associated with the risk of falls in older people. However, the components of frailty that have the highest association with fall events are largely unknown. Methods: This study analyzed panel data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used the Korean Frailty Instrument, which includes domains for social isolation, exhaustion and weakness estimated by grip strength, to assess frailty. Fall event data were collected during follow-up visits. Results: A total of 3122 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older were included at baseline in 2006 and were followed up every 2 years until 2018. The participants with frailty had a higher …

Building Bridges for Innovation in Ageing: Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA.

2017

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have often worked in silos and, consequently, synergies between Action Groups have been proposed to strengthen the triple win of the EIP on AHA. The paper presents the methodology and current status of the Task Force on EIP on AHA synergies. Synergies are in line with the Action Groups' new Renovated Action Plan (2016-2018) to ensure that their future objectives are coherent and fully connected. The …

The place of frailty and vulnerability in the surgical risk assessment: should we move from complexity to simplicity?

2018

Due to aging of the world population, older patients accessing health services are becoming continuously more frequent. This has increased the interest in assessing frailty and vulnerability in all specialties and general medicine. Although the term frailty has been recognized for over 30 years, there is not yet a universally recognized definition, and different care providers assess frailty and vulnerability with dissimilar tools, from very complex to very simple validated scales. Being treated with respect and dignity at the right time and place is the key message, as well as after undergoing a global evaluation both in urgency/emergency and in programmed surgery for all older surgical pa…

Changes in Postural Balance in Frail Elderly Women during a 4-Week Visual Feedback Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2002

<i>Background:</i> Balance training programs have not shown consistent results among older adults, and it remains unclear how different training methods can be adapted to frail elderly people. <i>Objective: </i>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 4-week visual feedback-based balance training on the postural control of frail elderly women living in residential care homes. <i>Methods:</i> Elderly women of two residential care facilities were randomized to an exercise group (EG, n = 20) and to a control group (CG, n = 7). The EG participated in training sessions three times/week for 4 weeks. The exercises were carried out with a com…

Frailty and leucocyte count are predictors of all-cause mortality and hospitalization length in non-demented institutionalized older women.

2017

Alteration in the immune system such as the number of white blood cells count (WBC) has been associated with frailty syndrome but their role in institutionalized older individuals have been rarely investigated. We evaluated the relationships between white blood cell subtypes, geriatric assessment, depression and frailty syndrome based on the criteria of physical phenotype. In particular, we aimed to analyze by a two-year follow-up and prospective study the predictive value of alterations in WBC, frailty and functional impairment in terms of hospitalizations and all-cause mortality in institutionalized older women. There was a significant and inverse correlation between the frailty score and…

The value of neutrophil and lymphocyte count in frail older women.

2013

Increasing evidence suggests that systemic inflammation is associated with many pathophysiological processes including frailty in older adults. We evaluated the relationships between white blood cell subtypes, geriatric assessment, and frailty syndrome and in particular, how they correlate with individual frailty criteria (involuntary loss of weight, low energy or exhaustion, slow mobility, muscle weakness, and low physical activity) in frail older women. There was a significant and positive correlation between the frailty score and neutrophil count, but a significantly negative correlation was found when this score was compared to the lymphocyte count. These associations were significant o…

An Easy Assessment of Frailty at Baseline Independently Predicts Prognosis in Very Elderly Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes.

2017

Background: Information about the impact of frailty in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is scarce. No study has assessed the prognostic impact of frailty as measured by the FRAIL scale in very elderly patients with ACS. Methods: The prospective multicenter LONGEVO-SCA registry included unselected patients with ACS aged 80 years or older. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed during hospitalization, including frailty assessment by the FRAIL scale. The primary endpoint was mortality at 6 months. Results: A total of 532 patients were included. Mean age was 84.3 years, 61.7% male. Most patients had positive troponin levels (84%) and high GRACE risk score values (mean 16…

Effects of a low-frequency sound wave therapy programme on functional capacity, blood circulation and bone metabolism in frail old men and women

2009

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a low-frequency sound wave therapy programme on functional capacity, blood circulation and bone metabolism of the frail elderly. Design: Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Two senior service centres. Subjects: Forty-nine volunteers (14 males and 35 females) aged 62—93 years with up to 12 diagnosed diseases were allocated in either the intervention group (n = 30) or control group (n = 19). Intervention: The intervention group underwent sound wave therapy, 3—5 times a week for 30 minutes per session over a period of 6 months. The control group received no intervention. Main measurements: Blood pressure, functional capacity, mobility, bo…

Comparison Of Patient Satisfaction And Compliance With Two Respiratory Muscle Training Programs In The Frail Elderly

2012

Frailty and emergency surgery in the elderly: protocol of a prospective, multicenter study in Italy for evaluating perioperative outcome (The FRAILES…

2018

Improvements in living conditions and progress in medical management have resulted in better quality of life and longer life expectancy. Therefore, the number of older people undergoing surgery is increasing. Frailty is often described as a syndrome in aged patients where there is augmented vulnerability due to progressive loss of functional reserves. Studies suggest that frailty predisposes elderly to worsening outcome after surgery. Since emergency surgery is associated with higher mortality rates, it is paramount to have an accurate stratification of surgical risk in such patients. The aim of our study is to characterize the clinicopathological findings, management, and short-term outcom…