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Review
. 2018 Feb;34(1):25-38.
doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.09.004.

Frailty Screening and Interventions: Considerations for Clinical Practice

Jeremy Walston  1 , Brian Buta  2 , Qian-Li Xue  2
Affiliations
Review

Frailty Screening and Interventions: Considerations for Clinical Practice

Jeremy Walston et al. Clin Geriatr Med. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Frailty is recognized as a cornerstone of geriatric medicine. It increases the risk of geriatric syndromes and adverse health outcomes in older and vulnerable populations. Although multiple screening instruments have been developed and validated to improve feasibility in clinical practice, frequent lack of agreement between frailty instruments has slowed broad implementation of these tools. Despite this, interventions to improve frailty-related health outcomes developed to date include exercise, nutrition, multicomponent interventions, and individually tailored geriatric care models. Possible strategies to prevent frailty include lifestyle or behavioral interventions, proper nutrition, and increased activity levels and social engagement.

Keywords: Assessment; Clinical; Frailty; Intervention; Prevention; Screening.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Potential interventions along the spectrum of frailty in older adults
Reproduced with permission from Walston JD. Frailty. In: UpToDate, Post TW, editor. UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on August 22, 2017.) Copyright © 2017 UpToDate, Inc. For more information visit www.uptodate.com. Modified from Walston JD, Fried LP. Frailty and its implications for care. In: Morrison RS, Meire DE, editors. Geriatric Palliative Care. New York: Oxford University Press; 2003. p. 101; with permission. Copyright © 2003 Oxford University Press.
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