Preventing Frailty in Older Adults (2 CE)

Number of Credits: 2

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD

Content By: Apóstolo, J., Cooke, R., Bobrowicz-Campos, E., Santana, S., Marcucci, M., Cano, A., ... & Holland, C. (2018). Effectiveness of interventions to prevent pre-frailty and frailty progression in older adults: A systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 16(1), 140-232.

Course Description:  Frailty is an age-related state of decreased physiological reserves characterized by an increased risk of poor clinical outcomes. Previous reviews have supplied ample evidence that frailty is modifiable, and recent reviews have documented its prevention and treatment. The current review focuses on older adults, ages 65 and older, who are identified as pre-frail or frail. Physical exercise programs were shown to be generally effective for reducing or postponing frailty but only when conducted in groups. Favorable effects on frailty indicators were also observed after the interventions, based on physical exercise with supplementation, supplementation alone, cognitive training and combined treatment. More research and data is needed on the economic benefits (direct and indirect) of frailty prevention programs.

Learning Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast pre-frailty and frailty
2. List two health risks of frailty in older adults
3. Describe the effectiveness of interventions for reducing frailty among older adults
4. Identify the secondary health benefits of frailty prevention interventions

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Effectiveness of interventions to prevent pre-frailty and frailty progression in older adults: A systematic review
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Reflect on the elements of effective programs for reducing frailty among older adults and the secondary health benefits in terms of physical and mental health
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the short- and long-term health benefits of reducing frailty in the elderly

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: