Frailty in older adults: perspectives for research and practice in Public Health

Vidal, Edison Iglesias de Oliveira

doi:10.1590/0102-311xed010614

Cited by 6 publications

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“…The treatment of frailty was compared to: the use of complex military strategies [27]; a metaphor that frailty treatment may never have a “one-size-fits-all” solution [28]; and an allegory of the Greek myth of Eos to question whether or not extending life span will simply extend frailty [29, 30]. Other expressions depicted frailty as something that we are only beginning to recognize but still need to understand fully; in these examples, frailty was compared to a “figure in the stone” that is being carved out [31], or the “underwater part of the iceberg of aging” [32]. These examples of figurative language all represent attempts to illustrate frailty as a complex, hard-to-define state.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figurative language about frailty was also used to discuss key conceptual issues, such as: a) whether frailty measures should be dynamic versus static [5] in the figurative example of predicting the future speed of resting car [26]; and b) whether the underlying primary and secondary causes of frailty can be better understood [46] in the metaphor of the submerged ice below an iceberg’s tip [32]. From examples in our categories related to faulty or fragile objects, figurative language has also depicted a conceptual distinction between frail persons as those who are already presenting with evident symptoms and health problems – the “rickety cars” – versus those who are fragile, delicate and vulnerable of being easily overcome by stressors – the “porcelain figures”.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Use of Figurative Language to Describe Frailty in Older Adults

et al. 2018

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Introduction: Frailty affects 15% of non-institutionalized older adults in the United States, yet confusion remains in defining and, in turn, assessing frailty. Figurative language, such as metaphor, can help to explain difficult scientific concepts and to form new theories. We aimed to examine the use of figurative language to describe frailty and to identify themes in the way figurative expressions are used. Understanding how frailty is described figuratively may offer insights for developing useful communication approaches in research settings. Methods: We performed a comprehensive review of editorials in the scientific literature to explore figurative language used to describe frailty in older adults. We categorized themes among the figurative expressions, which may help to inform how to effectively communicate about frailty. Results: We found 24 editorials containing 32 figurative expressions. The figurative expressions conceptualized frailty in six ways: 1) a complex, multifaceted concept; 2) an important issue in health and medicine; 3) indicative of something that is failing or faulty; 4) indicative of fragility; 5) representative of vulnerable, ignored persons; and 6) an opportunity for self-awareness and reflection. Discussion: Our review highlights the heterogeneity in depictions of frailty, which is consonant with the lack of a standardized definition of frailty. We also found a novel aspect to the concept of frailty, which merits attention: frailty characterized as an opportunity for self-awareness and reflection. Figurative language, which often juxtaposes familiar with challenging, complex concepts, can offer insights on issues in frailty research and holds potential as a tool for researchers to improve communication about this important and debated medical condition.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Figurative Language to Describe Frailty in Older Adults

et al. 2018

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“…The frailty syndrome is a clinical condition that has been widely studied in the last decades 7 . It is recognized as a geriatric syndrome and is directly associated with undesirable outcomes, increase of cost and mortality [8][9][10] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalência e fatores associados à fragilidade em uma amostra de idosos que vivem na comunidade da cidade de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil: estudo FIBRA-JF

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et al. 2019

Ciênc. saúde coletiva

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Resumo Fragilidade é um estado de vulnerabilidade fisiológica multissistêmica relacionada à idade e a um risco aumentado de desfechos adversos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a prevalência e os fatores associados à fragilidade no estudo FIBRA em Minas Gerais, Brasil. Selecionou-se uma amostra aleatória, estratificada por unidade territorial, sexo e idade, de 461 indivíduos, com 65 anos ou mais. A fragilidade foi estabelecida pela presença de três ou mais de cinco itens: sensação de exaustão, baixa força de preensão manual, velocidade da marcha lenta, perda de peso e baixo gasto calórico. A média de idade foi de 74,4 anos (DP± 6,8), 69,6% eram mulheres e 71,9% brancos. A prevalência de fragilidade foi de 5,2%; 49,9% foram de indivíduos pré-frágeis. Idade avançada (OR: 6,4; IC 1,76-23,8), comprometimento das atividades básicas de vida diária (OR: 5,2; IC 1,1-23,1) e auto percepção de saúde ruim (OR: 0,13; IC 0,03-0,4), foram associados à fragilidade. No presente estudo, um número substancial de indivíduos apresentou-se frágil, enquanto que metade da amostra estava sob risco de progressão para esta condição, sugerindo que é urgente a adoção de medidas de saúde pública com objetivo de prevenção e redução de complicações.

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“…Recently, it was proposed that physical frailty should be considered a clinical marker of biological aging . That argument makes almost mathematical sense (Figure ) when one considers that biological aging has been described as the progressive deterioration of physiological systems in an organism over time and that physical frailty has been defined as a “medical syndrome with multiple causes and contributors that is characterized by diminished strength, endurance, and physiologic function that increases an individual's vulnerability for developing increased dependency and/or death.”…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Logical reasoning supporting the concept of physical frailty as a clinical marker of biological aging based on two definitions of biological aging and physical frailty …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%