Proactive care for frailty

Acertainty of life is that we get older, and our health changes as our bodies go through the ageing process. Yet, frailty is not an inevitable part of this process. A person living with mild frailty has double the risk of dying than an older, fit person does (NHS England, 2019). Each day, over 4000 people are admitted to hospital with varying degrees of frailty, which increases the likelihood of poorer health outcomes and dying in hospital (Imam et el, 2021). For people living with frailty, the ability to bounce back from minor illness is greatly reduced, and they are likely to suffer adverse outcomes. It is estimated that over 10% of people aged 65 years and over are living with moderate frailty and are three times more likely to require hospital admissions and care home admissions than older, fit people (NHS England, 2019). Early recognition of frailty will not only improve health outcomes, but also ensure that older people have access to the right care and support to prevent significant deterioration and reduce the likelihood of admission to secondary care or need for a care home (NHS England, 2021).