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Frailty and functional decline

The number of frail elderly Canadians is today estimated at 1.1 million. Recognizing frailty is a key to improving patient care. Frailty is usually associated with noticeable losses in a person’s physical, mental or social functioning such as; walking speed, weight and muscle loss, fatigue, grip strength, level of physical activity and memory loss.

Frailty in the eye of the beholder
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Exercise programs can help reduce falls and prevent injuries
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Physical exercise can help combat signs of frailty in older adults
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  • Evidence Summary

    Physical and nutritional interventions may reduce the level of frailty among older adults living in the community

    Rating 5 out of 5 stars
    Age and Ageing (2017)
  • Evidence Summary

    Circuit resistance training increases upper and lower body strength in older and middle aged adults

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Ageing Research Reviews (2017)
  • Evidence Summary

    Case management programs may have benefits for informal caregivers  

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2017)
  • Evidence Summary

    Home-based occupational therapy can improve physical functioning in older adults with declining health

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy (2016)
  • Evidence Summary

    Falls-prevention exercise programs reduce falls in older adults living in care facilities

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing (2017)
  • Evidence Summary

    Rehabilitation at home can be just as good as hospital-based rehabilitation for patients after knee surgery

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (2016)
  • Evidence Summary

    Home-based exercise programs may be a promising alternative to clinic-based physical therapy following knee-replacement surgery

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatolology, Arthroscopy (2016)
  • Evidence Summary

    Self-management programs are an effective means of improving the ability of older adults to carry out daily activities

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    International Journal of Nursing Studies (2016)
  • Evidence Summary

    Pilates is a promising way to improve balance in older adults

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2015)
  • Evidence Summary

    Balance-recovery training may lower risk of falls for older adults and people with Parkinson’s disease

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Physical Therapy (2015)
  • Evidence Summary

    Elastic resistance training is effective for improving muscle strength in older adults

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Archives of Gerontology & Geriatrics (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    After a critical illness, exercise or physical therapy most consistently improved physical function after hospital discharge

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Chest (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    Home-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation can improve mobility, balance and strength after hip fracture surgery

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Rehabilitation Research and Practice (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    Physical exercise interventions may improve walking speed and physical functioning measures in frail older adults

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (2014)
  • Evidence Summary

    Multicomponent exercise training improves physical functioning in frail older adults

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    Rejuvenation Research (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    A Probability of Repeated Admission (Pra) score greater than 0.5 predicts hospital admission for older adults living in the community

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars
    J Am Geriatr Soc (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    Ageing simulation equipment can help students empathize with older adults

    Rating 3 out of 5 stars
    Journal of Advanced Nursing (2020)
  • Evidence Summary

    No clear evidence that home-based programs to change behaviour improve health outcomes of frail old adults

    Rating 3 out of 5 stars
    BMJ Open (2017)
  • Evidence Summary

    Fall-prevention programs that specifically target at-risk nursing home residents may prove most effective in reducing the prevalence of falls

    Rating 3 out of 5 stars
    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2015)
  • Evidence Summary

    More supports are needed for frail and older adults, their families and health professionals to enable appropriate end-of-life care planning discussions.

    Rating 3 out of 5 stars
    British Journal of General Practice (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    Unnecessary medication use in frail older adults can be reduced through team-based care, providing education to providers and reviewing prescribing practices

    Rating 3 out of 5 stars
    Drugs and Aging (2013)
  • Evidence Summary

    Climate change found to have variable impacts on older adults

    Rating 1 out of 5 stars
    Journal of Nursing Scholarship (2017)
  • Blog Post

    Non-drug strategies to reduce frailty

    Looking to reduce frailty? Learn what the evidence says about non-drug strategies.
  • Blog Post

    Getting your ‘feet’ in the game! Can exercising your feet help you stay on them?

    From injury to death, falls are a major concern for older adults. Recent research looks at how strengthening the muscles in our feet and ankles can help to reduce the risk of falls.
  • Blog Post

    Assistive technologies: It’s not for me, I’m not there yet!

    In Canada 1.1 million older adults use assistive technology to compensate for physical or cognitive limitations. However, despite the potential benefits of these technologies, some older adults remain reluctant to use them. What can explain this reluctance?
  • Blog Post

    Supporting caregivers of frail older adults

    Frail older adults have significant care needs, and often rely heavily on caregivers to support them. Despite their crucial role, support for caregivers is often lacking or inconsistently available.
  • Blog Post

    Having ‘the talk’: The benefits of making your wishes known about end-of-life care

    Advance care planning and having discussions about end-of-life care with family members and healthcare providers can have positive impacts for everyone involved.
  • Blog Post

    Walking: An age-old strategy to boost your health

    As you get older, getting from one place to another can be a challenge. To put you on the road to better health, invest in a sturdy pair of shoes and use the power of your own two feet to get you to where you need to be.
  • Blog Post

    Conquer your fear of falling with cognitive behavioural therapy

    Many older adults have a fear of falling. Cognitive behavioural therapy may help people overcome this fear by reducing negative thoughts about falls and shifting their focus to what they can do to curb their falls risk.
  • Blog Post

    Watch your step! Fall prevention for seniors living in the community

    For seniors still living at home, falls are a concern. Fortunately, exercise alone or in combination with other fall prevention strategies can help keep one’s feet firmly planted on the ground.
  • Blog Post

    Feeling unsteady? Exercise can help prevent falls in long-term care

    Feeling off-balance? Stand up to falls with exercise. Exercise combined with other fall prevention strategies is a promising way to lower the rate of falls in older adults living in long-term care.
  • Blog Post

    The research based benefits of music for walking

    Walking speed reveals a lot about your overall health and walking ability changes with age. Research shows that music can help!
  • Blog Post

    Worried about breaking a bone? 5 tips you should know before it happens

    Breaking up may be hard to do, but breaking a bone is easy – especially as we age. Get tips on how to protect yourself.
  • Blog Post

    Avoid falls with these 4 simple tips

    Many older adults experience a fall as they get older. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are four evidence-based tips to lower your falls risk and promote healthy aging.
  • Blog Post

    Physical exercise can help combat signs of frailty in older adults

    Physical exercise can help improve some conditions associated with aging and frailty, such as improving walking speed.
  • Evidence Summary

    Fall-prevention strategies that include multiple components are effective at reducing fall rates and the total number of falls among older adults

    BMC Geriatrics (2014)
  • Blog Post

    Exercise programs can help reduce falls and prevent injuries

    Fall prevention exercise programs, in a group or home setting, can help prevent falls. Exercises to improve balance are the most effective in preventing falls.
  • Blog Post

    Frailty in the eye of the beholder

    Frailty represents a form of vulnerability or weakness in the older person and is different from simply growing old. It is important even though there is no agreement on the signs for frailty.
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