Abstract
With 16.15% of its total population aged 65 or above, Taiwan is already an aging society. Frailty is a natural consequence of aging, which may decrease physical strength and deteriorate physiological functioning. We examined the mediating effects of cognitive function, social support, activities of daily living (ADL), and depression in the relationship between age and frailty in older people living in the community. This cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from a convenience sample of 200 pre-frail to mildly frail older adults in southern Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis, with data collected from July to November 2020. ADL mediated the relationship between age and frailty, while cognitive function also mediated the relationship between age and frailty, indicating that ADL and cognitive function were significant determinants of frailty. The path from age to frailty was significant, indicating that age was a significant determinant of frailty. The standardized total effect of age affected frailty through the mediating roles of ADL and cognitive function. Age, depression, ADL, and cognitive function explained 59% of the variance in frailty among older adults. ADL and cognitive function are significant mediators of frailty among older adults.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (2002), when 14% of a nation’s population is over 65 years of age, it is termed an “aged society” [1]
We found that the effect of age on frailty was partially mediated by activities of daily life (ADL), and addition, we found that the effect of age on frailty was partially mediated by ADL, and thisresult resultcorresponded correspondedtotoHao’s
This study investigated the relationships between frailty, cognitive function, and ADL
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (2002), when 14% of a nation’s population is over 65 years of age, it is termed an “aged society” [1]. Residents aged 65 or older currently in Taiwan (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2021). The experience of frailty has been an important and emerging issue for healthcare providers in recent years. Taiwan’s government has been actively promoting advanced long-term care for their aging society, to slow down the process of frailty among community-dwelling older adults for a better quality of life [2]. Frailty is identified by the presence of unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, muscle weakness, low levels of ADL, and slow gait [3], and is characterized by diminished muscle strength, endurance, and reduced physiologic function that increases vulnerability for.
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