Frailty: constructing a common meaning, definition, and conceptual framework.
The term frailty has been used for many years, both in everyday and academic language. It is a term that appears, on the surface, to be simple enough in its meaning, yet it has been used in a variety of ways to describe both people and a condition that applies to people. Moreover, little conceptual thought has gone into the nature of frailty and the factors that might affect it. This paper presents a definition of frailty: frailty occurs when there is diminished ability to carry out the important practical and social activities of daily living. It also presents a conceptualization of frailty that specifies its basic components, the categories of factors that contribute to it, and its relationship to closely related concepts.
Brown
I
I
Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto, Canada.
Renwick
R
R
Raphael
D
D
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009626:Terminology as Topic