Geriatric Frailty Syndrome

Geriatric Frailty Syndrome Name: Institution: Date: Geriatric Frailty Syndrome Introduction Frailty syndrome refers to a geriatric syndrome that is caused by increased exposure to environmental factors. The syndrome is common in elderly populations. There are many areas of uncertainty regarding the topic. However, the knowledge of the syndrome continues to develop day after the other. The early biomarkers as well as the patho-physiological pathways of the syndrome are still under scrutiny and investigation. There are latest models in development and some are in use in relation to the syndrome such as the biopsychosocial model. The works here in seek to define and elaborate on the model and how it relates to geriatric Frailty Syndrome (Xue, 2011). In order to understand the model, it is important to look at the literature review and how its various components relate to the syndrome. Another model, the conservation model, is examined in order to shed more light on the syndrome. The article purposes to examine the Geriatric Frailty Syndrome from the perspective of Biopsychosocial model as well as the health condition of the syndrome itself and conservation model. Literature review Methods The paper has been completed through a thorough search on online resources such as OVID, PubMed, Meditext, Medline, Austats, and CINAHL among others (Ahmed, Mandel, & Fain, 2007). Further the research was extended to academic materials. Key words used through the search included geriatric frailty syndrome, biopsychosocial model, osteoporosis, depression and social isolation. Findings Biopsychosocial model was introduced only to be a landmark in the understanding of medicine as a science. The model provoked the thinking and perception of medicine and its linking to science by providing a topic for discussion and the rationale for the same. This model slowly evolved integrating and incorporating the components of psychosocial. In addition to biological aspects of a patient a model for medicine should always consider including the psychosocial dimensions such as family, emotional, social and community. Therefore, the research paid special focus on the BPS model that consists of Biological factors, Psychological factors and in this case is depression and social factors and in this case focusing on social isolation. There is also the health part of the model that is important in completing the model and this research as well. The findings of the sub problems related to Geriatric Frailty Syndrome are organized as per the biopsychosocial model addressed in question number five. Frailty management in Primary care Although frailty is quite new in the practice and research within the geriatric medical arena, it has gained popularity in the last few decades. This condition exposes the elderly to the risk of the adverse effects of disability, mortality, morbidity, hospitalization and finally the patients ends up being institutionalized (Xue, 2011). This condition affects the patient’s ability to be independent by impairing their physical and psychological attributes of their well being. This disability and implications then spread to the families and friends of the elderly frailty patients. In general, other than the fact that the frailty condition affects the patients as individuals, it also affects the social support that the patients rely on, including the care givers such as the nurses and the doctors. Although the measurement levels used in different countries vary, in Europe for example the elderly suffering from the frailty is more than 20% for those persons over the age of 65 years and above. By the year 2040 this number is expected to double, as such there is need to develop a very robust way of identifying and managing the condition. One of the most common techniques that is used in the assessment and identification of those with the condition is the frailty markers that are physical. Essentially this robust technique of identifying and managing the frailty patients has to be with reference to the primary care stage. Much of the research that has come to the light about this condition is limited to the secondary care, while the primary care segment is rather young and undeveloped. Identification This is the fore most stage of managing this condition. As the elderly grow older, they increasingly become more susceptible to the frailty condition. With the frailty, their level of risk is much higher as regards the chances of developing disabilities, accidental falls, hospitalization and basically death, while compared to those elderly persons that are not frail. There are a couple of tools that are used to the persons that are suffering from the condition, with regard to the clinical and the research purposes (Xue, 2011). As previously mentioned there are five of the physical frailty markers. There are also those that are used to assess the elderly on their performance abilities. These mostly rely on the aspects of balance, gait velocity and their strength in grip. These tools require to be wisely chosen, leaning heavily towards those that are much cheaper and those that do not have most robust. These tools are combined together with some equipment that assists the doctors and general health support providers to easily identify and manage the condition. When choosing the equipments it is important that they are assessed on the basis of their ability to make clinical observations and also self-report. It is common to find devices that are specific to some parts of the hospital, such as the emergency wing, where they are used by the health care providers to clinically tackle emergencies relating to the frailty patients (Ahmed, Mandel, & Fain, 2007). There great need of carrying out more research work on the instruments so as to improve on their abilities, reliability and validity within this field. Most of the researches recommend that there be an effective screening stage followed closely by some extensive assessments. This would require easy to use equipment that offers self reporting, which essential would reduce the redundant assessments and costs, on those people that are actually healthy. These suggestions would see the identification of the frailty persons become more streamlined unlike the current system that is rather redundant and costly. This is the first stage of the treatment cycle and should thus be as clinically perfect as possible. Models of Care - Exercise The other kind intervention that can be carried out in the primary stage is that of exercise. As one grows older not only does it increase the likely hood of developing the frailty conditions, but one of the main reason is that, the age come with reduced muscle mass and therefore strength. This is common for all the elderly persons but the condition is much more felt by those that are suffering from frailty (Ahmed, Mandel, & Fain, 2007). According to research results on the effectiveness of exercise, it is actually beneficial to the patients at all the stages of the frailty condition, even to those that are at their extreme. Patients that are introduced to exercise at the beginning of the discovery of condition, tend to have better performance at their mobility continuous assessment, alongside, gait improvements, higher bone mineral density and fewer accidental falls. Hormonal intervention In the hope of improving the functional abilities of the muscles, the patients are most of the time given hormonal supplements, which is the sex and growth hormones. These hormones help the patients in the development of the muscle mass as well as strength. This method is not very common as it requires that the patients are found to have deficiencies that require clinical interventions. This is because these supplements tend to have some side effects on the patients, which if not properly diagnosed could lead to further complications. Testosterone for example is one of the hormones that can be administered to the patients, which leads to increased muscle mass and strength. This is usually so, when the hormone intake is combined with regular exercise (Ahmed...