Frailty trajectories and associated factors in the years prior to death: evidence from 14 countries in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Age-related changes in frailty have been documented in the literature. However, the evidence regarding changes in frailty prior to death is scarce. Understanding patterns of frailty progression as individuals approach death could inform care and potentially lead to interventions to improve individual's well-being at the end of life. In this paper, we estimate the progression of frailty in the years prior to death.

Methods

Using data from 8,317 deceased participants of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, we derived a 56-item Frailty Index. In a coordinated analysis of repeated measures of the frailty index in 14 countries, we fitted growth curve models to estimate trajectories of frailty as a function of distance to death controlling both the le

SUBMITTER: Jenkins ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9881297 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature