Intervention to prevent, delay or reduce frailty in community-living older adults.

Executive summary:

 Frailty is when the body gradually loses its in-built reserve and becomes vulnerable to sudden changes in health triggered by stress or minor illness such as a urinary tract infection.
 Frailty increases the risk of unfavourable health outcomes including falls, disability, admission to hospital, need for long-term care, poorer recovery and reduced quality of life compared to those who are not frail.
 Prefrailty is an intermediate stage between non-frail and frail, with loss of in-built reserves but the ability to recover after a stressor event.
 The prefrail have more than twice the risk of becoming frail compared to those who are non-frail.
 Evidence suggests the ‘prefrail’ state may be a window of opportunity for effective interventions.
 Potential interventions include physical activity alone or in combination with nutrition and/or brain training.
 Evidence for interventions targeting other aspects of frailty such as cognition, social outcomes and psychosocial wellbeing (depression and loneliness) is limited but have been advocated.
 The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT)/eHealth in frailty interventions demonstrates potential for self-management, improved health and cost effectiveness.