Frailty in Older Persons

Abstract

Frailty is a clinical state characterized by a decrease of an individual's homeostatic reserves and is responsible for enhanced vulnerability to endogenous and/or exogenous stressors. Such a condition of extreme vulnerability exposes individuals to an increased risk of negative health-related outcomes. Multiple operational definitions of frailty are available in the literature, but none can be indicated as a gold standard. Frailty should be considered a condition of major interest for public health and become the lever for reshaping the obsolete health care systems currently unable to adequately address the clinical needs of aging populations.

Keywords: Assessment; Disability; Elderly; Geriatrics; Prevention.