Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

Frailty in Elderly and Care

Daniella Pires Nunes, Tábatta Renata Pereira de Brito and Yeda Aparecida de Oliveira Duarte

Frailty is a common syndrome that is associated with vulnerability to poor health-outcomes. Frail elderly people have increased risk of falls, disability, hospitalization and death, resulting in burden to individuals, their families, health care services and society.

Vigilance towards frail elderly people represents a big challenge for social and health institutions, family and society. Longitudinal studies applied in São Paulo, Brazil, SABE Study (an acronym in Spanish and Portuguese for Health, Well being and Aging), verified that frail elderly people are more dependent on personal care and show more limitation for an independent community life. Consequently, they demand more vigilance and use of health services, mainly the emergency ones. Studies also showed that these sort of elderly people belonged to dysfunctional families and, therefore, with more limitations to care them, besides carers overloaded, what, in deep analysis, affects the quality of assistance to this group