Mental Health Issues and Frailty

Abstract

As the population continues to age, it becomes pertinent to consider the experience and quality of life of older adults. With the advancement of age, older adults experience many physical challenges (e.g., mental health issues and aspects of frailty) and changes in their everyday lives. Frailty can be an outcome of decreased movement, stimulation, and confidence. Mental health issues like anxiety and depression can occur from changes in self-perception, abilities, and relationships. Socialization is affected by changes seen with aging, even though a social support system is an integral part of successful aging. For health care professionals working with older adults, it is important to provide education about mental and physical health changes to assist older adults maintaining their well-being and thrive as they age. Encouraging older adults to seek timely and necessary help to handle challenges and changes as needed is also a productive way to foster successful aging. This paper aims to discuss existing knowledge mental health and frailty with the hope that health care professionals may find it useful to stabilize and diversify the care older adults receive, thereby improving quality of life and reducing mental health and frailty issues.