Knowra Frailty syndrome Frailty syndrome Frailty is a clinical state of reduced strength and physiological reserve that makes minor stressors more likely to cause disability, illness, or death.
Frailty phenotype : A clinical frailty model defined by weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slow walking, and low physical activity. It operationalizes frailty as a recognizable cluster of physical deficits.
Geriatric assessment : A multidimensional evaluation of an older person's medical, functional, psychological, and social needs. It provides the broader clinical assessment in which frailty is interpreted.
Clinical Frailty Scale : A nine-point clinical scale that summarizes fitness and frailty using function and illness burden. Clinicians use it to communicate frailty and inform care decisions.
Falls : Unexpected events in which a person comes to rest on the ground or a lower level. Weakness and impaired balance can make falls more likely in frail people.
Frailty index : A measure of frailty calculated as the proportion of a person's health deficits that are present. It captures accumulated health problems rather than a fixed symptom checklist.
Activities of daily living : Basic self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, and moving around. Difficulty with these tasks can reveal functional consequences of frailty.
Comprehensive geriatric assessment : A coordinated, multidimensional process for assessing and managing older adults' health and functional needs. It can identify reversible contributors and organize treatment around frailty-related needs.
Hospitalization : Admission of a person to a hospital for diagnosis, treatment, or monitoring. Acute illness can destabilize limited reserve and lead to hospital admission.
Allostatic load : The cumulative physiological burden of adapting to repeated or chronic stress. Long-term stress-system activation can erode the reserves that frailty depends on.
Instrumental activities of daily living : Everyday tasks needed for independent living, including shopping, cooking, and managing medication. Declines in these tasks often expose vulnerability before basic self-care is lost.
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