journal articles
A NEW PROPOSAL FOR THE CLINICAL-FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIZATION OF THE ELDERLY: VISUAL SCALE OF FRAILTY (VS-FRAILTY)
E. Nunes de Moraes, F.M. Lanna, R.R. Santos, M.A.C. Bicalho, C.J. Machado, D.E. Romero
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2016;5(1):24-30
Ageing is closely associated with increasing frailty, and it continues to be defined in various different ways, complicating its practical application in the clinical context. Frailty is commonly used to predict the risk of functional decline, institutionalization or even death. Current models of frailty display significant limitations, because they are unable to encompass all the chronic conditions indicating adverse outcomes. In this article, we propose the Visual Scale of Frailty (VS-Frailty), based on the overall functionality and clinical complexity of elderly individuals. This scale emphasizes the importance of independence in basic, instrumental and advanced Activities of Daily Living (ADL), as well as taking into account the main causes of the functional decline of the elderly, such as sarcopenia syndrome, mild cognitive impairment and multiple comorbidities. The scale places the elderly into 10 categories ranging from completely independent to fully dependent. The scale provides the following advantages over other scales currently used: scope, ease of application, visual clarity, longitudinal monitoring, planning of health services, and the definition of therapeutic goals and prioritization of care. The use of VS-Frailty permits the individualization of the overall diagnosis, thus facilitating continuity of care in a systematized manner, ensuring comprehensive attention to the health of elderly individuals.
CITATION:
E. Nunes de Moraes ; F.M. Lanna ; R.R. Santos ; M.A.C. Bicalho ; C.J. Machado ; D.E. Romero (2016): A new proposal for the clinical-functional categorization of the elderly: Visual Scale of Frailty (VS-Frailty). The Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice (JARCP). http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jarcp.2016.84