Abstract
BackgroundFrailty is a common problem among older people and it is associated with an increased risk of death and long-term institutional care. Early identification of frailty is necessary to prevent a further decline in the health status of home care clients. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of frailty and associated factors among 75-year-old or older home care clients.MethodsThe study participants were 75-year-old or older home care clients living in three cities in Eastern and Central Finland. Home care clients who had completed the abbreviated Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (aCGA) for frailty (n = 257) were included in the present study. Baseline data were obtained on functional status, cognitive status, depressive symptoms, self-rated health, ability to walk 400 m, nutritional status, drug use and comorbidities.ResultsMost of the home care clients (90%) were screened for frailty using the aCGA. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of malnutrition or malnutrition (OR = 4.27, 95% CI = 1.56, 11.68) and a low level of education (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07, 1.23) were associated with frailty.ConclusionFrailty is a prevalent problem among home care clients. The risk of malnutrition or malnourishment and a lower level of education increase the risk of frailty. Screening for frailty should be done to detect the most vulnerable older people for further intervention to prevent adverse health problems.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02214758.
Highlights
Frailty is a common problem among older people and it is associated with an increased risk of death and long-term institutional care
The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of frailty and identify the demographical, clinical and functional factors associated with frailty in a population-based sample of home care clients aged 75 or over
Of the 257 home care clients, 231 (89.9%) were classified as frail using the abbreviated Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (aCGA) in the ≥1 domain and 162 (63.0%) in the ≥2 domain (Table 1)
Summary
Frailty is a common problem among older people and it is associated with an increased risk of death and long-term institutional care. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of frailty and associated factors among 75-year-old or older home care clients. Support services include catering, cleaning, laundry, shopping and transport [1] These services are supplemented by personal home service and are often one of Frailty is an important geriatric syndrome that includes sarcopenia and loss of functional abilities among older people [2,3,4,5]. It accelerates ageing, predisposing individuals to adverse health outcomes [2,3,4]. It has been suggested that all persons 70 of age or older should be screened for frailty [9]
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