[Young frail elderly: assessed using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator]. / Fragiliteit bij jonge ouderen: meting met de Tilburg Frailty Indicator.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Frail elderly have a higher risk of adverse outcomes, e.g., hospitalization,institutionalization, or premature death. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) is a validated questionnaire for measuring frailty in independently living older people aged 70 years and over. AIMS: Determining the prevalence of frailty among independently living young elderly, and examining which factors predict frailty among this target group. METHODS: 308 young elderly (58 to 64 years) completed the TFI before they visited the ambulatory health screening centre in Roosendaal. The TFI includes questions concerning physical, psychological and social frailty, and questions on possible determinants of frailty. RESULTS: 18-4% of the sample of young elderly was frail. Women scored significantly higher on psychological and social frailty. The determinants explained 37% of the frailty score. As expected,low income, an unhealthy lifestyle, multimorbidity, experiencing life events, and dissatisfaction with the living environment predicted frailty. The three frailty domains(physical, psychological, social) were affected by different determinants. CONCLUSION: A substantial part of the young elderly in the sample turned out to be frail. The finding that the three domains of frailty are predicted by different determinants underlines the importance the importance of a broad perspective regarding the functioning of the individual older person.