“Frail” is a frequently used adjective that is often misunderstood. It refers to a person’s mental and physical resilience, their ability to bounce back and recover from events like illness and injury.

The word describes a particular state of health predominantly experienced by older people, but it is often used inaccurately.

Pamela (not her real name) experienced a fall while on holiday with her family. She had to stay in hospital for a long while, after which she needed caregivers to help her at home twice a day.

Her daughter, who spends a lot of time with her, says she did not notice how much more difficult everyday tasks were for her mother. But it suddenly dawned upon her that Pamela, who is now 70, has slowed down considerably.

This was the same woman who used to urge her daughter to walk more quickly during evenings in the park. It now takes them an hour to walk around their local playground, when it once took 20 minutes.

If someone is living with frailty, it doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of living a full and independent life. Being frail means a minor health problem, such as a urinary tract infection, could have a severe long-term impact on a senior’s health and wellbeing.

This is why it’s important for those living with frailty to have access to care that prevents problems from happening at the onset, as well as specialist response should anything go wrong.

Challenges to one’s sense of self

Frailty is generally characterised by issues such as reduced muscle strength and fatigue. Around 10% of people aged over 65 live with frailty, a statistic that rises to between 25% and 50% for those over 85, according to the Malaysian Aged Care Association.

Being frail isn’t the same as living with long-term health conditions. While there’s often an overlap, someone living with frailty might not have any other diagnosed health conditions.

A frail senior citizen might need to adjust and find new ways to manage daily tasks. This is equally true for their families, too.

Frailty can also profoundly challenge one’s sense of self and change how one is perceived and treated by others, including healthcare professionals. Those living with frailty are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of setbacks such as a minor fall or mild infections.

Pamela says it’s important for those living with frailty to have access to proactive care. This means regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and having friends or relatives around to provide companionship and mental health support.

There are two ways to check if your senior family members are frail, which can be done at home:

• Gait speed: If the person takes more than five seconds to walk 4m, they are considered frail.
• Timed up and go test: If the person takes more than 12 seconds to get up from a chair, walk 3m, then turn around to walk back to the chair and sit down again, they are considered frail.

Pamela is sharing her experience to highlight that preemptive care and support are important for those with frailty. Working with seniors and their families on a proper plan tailored to meet individual needs will improve one’s quality of living and life expectancy.

TELEME Healing Life Stories is a collection of inspirational stories of how ordinary people triumph over their health conditions and recover to lead a healthier life after that. Feel free to email [email protected] to share your story.

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