Key points
- A national framework has been developed to prevent and manage frailty for adults over 65.
- The Australian Consensus Statements aim to reduce long-term complications, take pressure off the health system and offer practical recommendations.
- The framework is an Australian first initiative, designed in consultation with healthcare professionals, older adults with lived experience and caregivers.
A new framework to prevent and manage frailty in older Australians has been developed in a national project led by University of Queensland researchers.
The Australian Consensus Statements are recommendations designed in consultation with healthcare professionals, older adults with lived experience of frailty, and caregivers across the country.
Dr Sakshi Chopra , of UQ's Frazer Institute , said the framework is an Australian first for preventing and managing frailty, and fills an important gap.
"We have developed 19 consensus statements to guide frailty prevention and management and enhance quality of life for adults over 65 years," Dr Chopra said.
"Our aim is to reduce long-term complications, take pressure off the health system and offer practical recommendations to support healthcare professionals in delivering consistent and proactive care.
"By raising awareness and providing guidance to healthcare practices, we hope the framework will empower healthcare professionals and the public to recognise early signs and take action.
"We want to ensure people living with severe frailty continue to be valued and receive appropriate, person-centred care."
The framework was commissioned by the Queensland Health Reform Office in partnership with the Australian Frailty Network.
It was developed and endorsed by 77 healthcare experts and 6 consumers with lived experience, focussing on 6 key pillars - health promotion and screening, nutrition, exercise, social activities, medicine optimisation, and management of severe frailty.
Frailty is a complex clinical syndrome characterised by a decline in a person's cognitive and physical function and a reduced ability to recover from stresses such as illnesses or injuries.
While many people remain healthy as they age, more than 20 per cent of Australians aged over 65 are estimated to be affected by frailty - which can lead to falls, hospitalisation, worsening mobility and death.
Professor Ruth Hubbard , a geriatrician and director of UQ's Australian Frailty Network said older people make significant economic, cultural and familial contributions to societies.
"In order to optimise the health and quality of life of older people, it is important for frailty to be prevented and, if it does occur, for it to be managed appropriately," Professor Hubbard said.
"Evidence supports the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions, and our 19 consensus statements are guided by the 6 pillars to improve health outcomes for adults across the spectrum of health - from robust to severely frail."
Dr Chopra said the framework outlines practical recommendations for clinicians, such as raising awareness of frailty, personalised counselling on health behaviours, supporting adequate protein intake, structured exercise, meaningful social engagement and tailored care plans.
"We have further categorised the pillars to support the management of mild, moderate and severe frailty - something that has not been attempted before,'' she said.
"We want everyone to take a lifelong approach to frailty prevention, and these pillars can be applied to people of all ages.''
Read the research in The Medical Journal of Australia.
