Frail patients

Geriatrician and General Physician Helen Kenealy discusses frailty, including what frailty is, its prevalence in New Zealand, risk factors, presentation, measurement, and the importance of assessing it.

Helen will also discuss practical tools for assessing frailty, adverse outcomes, and effective management strategies.

Topics

intro
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how do we define frailty?
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how common is Frailty in New Zealand
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why are certain populations affected more commonly?
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what are the risk factors associated with frailty?
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avoiding frailty
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how does frailty typically present in patients?
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various methods for measuring frailty
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practical and commonly used frailty scores
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adverse outcomes if left unmanaged
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how can we effectively manage our frail patients?
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take-home messages
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Take home messages

be as active as you can - Something is better than nothing
remain as socially connected as possible
keep your brain active
please start documenting frailty on your patients
have those conversations with families - shared decision making & goal setting is enhanced with a frailty assessment

Resources

Frailty care guides | Ngā aratohu maimoa hauwarea HQSC (2023)
Frailty in older people: a discussion bpacnz (2018)
Clinical Frailty Scale Acute Frailty Network
Maximising the health of older people, with Ngaire Kerse Goodfellow Short Course

Presenter

Helen Kenealy

Geriatrician and General Physician

Helen works at Counties Manukau Health and Greenlane Medical Specialists and is the Chair of the National Medication Optimisation Group for Summerset Villages.

She has completed the Monash Short Course in PeriOperative Medicine. Helen sees a wide range of conditions and performs home visits, and has experience in capacity assessments and legal reports for clients and the court.