The Use of Figurative Language to Describe Frailty in Older Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Frailty affects 15% of non-institutionalized older adults in the United States, yet confusion remains in defining and, in turn, assessing frailty. Figurative language, such as metaphor, can help to explain difficult scientific concepts and to form new theories. We aimed to examine the use of figurative language to describe frailty and to identify themes in the way figurative expressions are used. Understanding how frailty is described figuratively may offer insights for developing useful communication approaches in research settings.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive review of editorials in the scientific literature to explore figurative language used to describe frailty in older adults. We categorized themes among the figurative expressions, which may help t

SUBMITTER: Buta B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5997276 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature