Performance-Based Screening Tools for Physical Frailty in Community Settings

Abstract

Frailty is one of the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality in older people. It is a multidimensional syndrome characterized by a reduced ability to deal with acute, physical, mental, socio-economic and spiritual stressors, and/or to perform daily living activities. Physical frailty is a complex condition deriving from multiple causes and contributors. It is characterized by the decline of physiological systems, leading to a loss of strength and endurance, and reduced physical ability. Frailty presents an increased risk of vulnerability to disease, dependency and/or death. Frail individuals are also prone to falls and are at greater risk of hospitalization and admission to long-term care. Consequently, there is a need for an effective tool or tools that can easily identify frail community-living individuals at an early stage of physical decline. Screening tools can be performance-based tests, questionnaires or a combination of both. The aim of the present narrative literature review is to describe the existing simple performance-based frailty screening tools.