A new national framework, the Australian Consensus Statements, has been developed to guide frailty prevention and management in older Australians.
The project was led by University of Queensland researchers and commissioned by the Queensland Health Reform Office in partnership with the Australian Frailty Network. The framework includes 19 consensus statements developed and endorsed by 77 healthcare experts and 6 consumers with lived experience of frailty.
The Six Pillars of Care
The statements focus on six pillars: health promotion and screening, nutrition, exercise, social activities, medicine optimisation, and management of severe frailty. The framework categorises these pillars to support management of mild, moderate, and severe frailty.
Understanding Frailty
Frailty is a clinical syndrome characterised by decline in cognitive and physical function and reduced ability to recover from stressors.
More than 20% of Australians aged over 65 are estimated to be affected by frailty, which can lead to falls, hospitalisation, worsening mobility, and death.
Expert Perspectives
Dr Sakshi Chopra of UQ's Frazer Institute stated that the framework aims to reduce long-term complications, relieve pressure on the health system, and provide practical recommendations for consistent and proactive care.
Professor Ruth Hubbard, director of the Australian Frailty Network, stated that evidence supports multicomponent interventions, and the 19 consensus statements are guided by the six pillars to improve health outcomes across the spectrum from robust to severely frail.
The research was published in The Medical Journal of Australia.