References
The Frailty Matters Project
Abstract
Preventing and managing frailty is a new area for many community practitioners; yet, frailty specific-education remains limited. This collaborative project aimed to understand and enhance the knowledge, confidence and capability of community nurses to manage frailty in a community setting. A person-centred coaching and educational programme was co-developed with community nurse participants to strengthen their leadership role in managing frailty within interprofessional teams. The “Frailty House” was created as an educational framework for the elements that participants described as important in order to live well with frailty, built on a foundation of leadership and coaching skills. Thematic content analysis of the data revealed the added value of combining technical knowledge and relational skills-building with peer support and coaching. All recognised the challenge of caring for people living with frailty at a difficult time and acknowledged that they would benefit hugely from further knowledge and skill development in this field.
Older people with frailty or complex multiple conditions need proactive health and social care. They require support that anticipates changes in their conditions and offers tailored early intervention by a range of professionals and community partners, which will enable them to stay independent and healthy for as long as possible at home or in the place they call home (British Geriatrics Society and the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2015). This requires a shift from care that is reactive, fragmented, episodic and hospital-facing to proactive and personalised, which focuses on what matters to the individual and is well coordinated and grounded in a strength-based approach (Caiels et al, 2021)
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the community are key in identifying those at risk of developing frailty and in prompting early intervention. As part of their role in care coordination between various professionals and services, nurses, in particular, need to have certain skills in order to ensure the care and support they provide to older people is of the highest quality. Such care must enable the older adults to live well and stay healthy at home. Research evidence indicates a need to increase the understanding and confidence of nurses to manage frailty (Britton, 2017; Windhaber et al, 2018; Papadopoulou et al, 2021).
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