Elder Vulnerability Score Index
Senior Frailty Calculator
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Frailty is being vulnerable to physical and mental stressors. The older a person gets, the more vulnerable they become to adverse health outcomes. An essential aspect of high-quality senior care is detecting and managing frailty early. It’s crucial when a person wants to continue living in their home, a popular phenomenon often referred to as aging in place.
The Senior Frailty Calculator provided below, based on the Edmonton Frail Scale, identifies the care needs of a frail person to help determine the best way to make a stable, safe, comfortable environment at home.
It’s important to note that the information presented in our Senior Frailty Calculator is for supporting frail older adults and their families as they converse with each other and healthcare professionals. Our Calculator does not substitute a patient’s relationship with their healthcare provider and should not replace medical advice.
Seniors living with frailty are over-represented in primary care, community and residential care, acute care and end-of-life care. Often, this is because the patient and their family did not understand what frailty meant or how it truly affected them. It’s more than just a lack of mobility, which is what many people think of when considering “frailty” – the calculator below assesses nine areas:
In calculating senior frailty, the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) is one of the most practical tools available to persons without medical training. The EFS is a standard tool among health care providers who use it to gauge frailty when someone without specialized training is available. Calculating their vulnerability to adverse outcomes can help them create an environment at home that aids mobility, convalescence, and in-home medical services.
To calculate frailty using the EFS, follow the prompts below and calculate your score. If you would like an approximate assessment of your loved one’s frailty level before making in-home changes or seeing a doctor, work with them to fill out and score the following assessments:
Cognition
Draw a circle and imagine it’s a clock. Place the numbers in the correct positions, then draw the hands to a position of ‘ten after eleven’.
General Health Status
How many times have you been admitted to a hospital in the past year?
In general, how would you describe your health?
Functional Independence
With how many of the following activities do you require help? (When calculating the final number, 0-1 activities =0 points; 2-4 activities = 1 point; 5-8 activities =is 2 points):
Social Support
Can you count on someone who is willing and able to help when it’s needed?
Medication Use
Do you use five or more different prescription medications on a regular basis?
At times, do you forget to take your prescription medications?
Nutrition
Have you recently lost weight such that your clothing has become looser?
Mood
Do you often feel sad or depressed?
Continence
Do you have a problem controlling urine?
Self Reported Functional Performance
Two weeks ago, were you able to:
(1) Do heavy work around the house like washing windows, walls, or
floors without help?
(2) Walk up and down stairs to the second floor without help?
(3) Walk 1 km without help?
If you or your loved one have self-reported the points, add them up and compare the score to the following. Your health care provider could use this to make an appropriate assessment:
It’s estimated that up to 12 percent of Americans age 65 and older are considered medically frail; in Canada, over 1.6 million people fit this category. Because the risk rises with age, it’s a number that will only go up in the next ten years, with many people still working to age in place.
It’s a trend that will require adjustments to their living quarters, including using in-home hospital beds, lift chairs, and mobility equipment like walker rollators for safety and stability. Whatever their frailty level, SonderCare is ready to help seniors across North America get the furniture and equipment they need.
Using the Senior Frailty Calculator, older adults can assess their frailty level, assess their cognitive, physical and social well-being, and get a personalized report on how to improve their well-being. Individuals’ overall frailty level is determined by a set of standardized criteria, such as grip strength, weight loss, and fatigue. In addition, other factors like medical history, mobility, and social support are taken into account. This calculator was developed to assist seniors and their caregivers in identifying frailty and maintaining independence.
There is no single test or measurement that can accurately determine frailty in elderly people. Frailty is a complex condition that can be measured in a variety of ways. In order to determine frailty in the elderly, several factors are evaluated that have been associated with increased risk of health problems, disability, and death. Measurements of frailty in the elderly include:
Physical, cognitive, and social characteristics of an individual are evaluated during the clinical assessment.
Using standardized criteria, such as grip strength, weight loss, and fatigue, the frailty index calculates an individual’s overall frailty level.
Assessing an individual’s ability to perform daily living activities, such as dressing, bathing, and walking, is called functional assessment.
Inflammation and muscle mass are some biomarkers related to frailty that can be measured.
Overall, frailty is an all-encompassing concept that identifies those at risk of frailty, develops care plans, and monitors their progress over time.
As a result of a decline in physical and cognitive function, frail older adults have a greater risk of health problems, disability, and death. It is common for frail older adults to have difficulty performing daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, and walking, as well as fall risk and hospitalization.
In order to determine frailty, multiple factors such as physical, cognitive, and social are evaluated. It is possible to measure the physical aspect of frailty by assessing muscle mass, grip strength, and endurance. Individuals’ cognitive abilities can be measured by evaluating their memory, attention, and decision-making. Social aspects can be assessed by assessing their living arrangements, activities and social support. It is considered that an individual is frail aged if they score high in a number of risk assessments of frailty.
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