We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how to tell regular old-age memory loss from dementia.
Speaking of which, scientists think that signs of physical frailty can predict dementia nine years ahead of diagnosis.
But given that muscle loss is a completely normal part of ageing ― Harvard Health says that “After age 40 there can be a decline of 1% to 2% per year in lean body mass and 1.5% to 5% per year in strength” ― how are we meant to tell “normal” strength loss from frailty?
Well, according to a 2022 paper, strength loss is inevitable over time, while frailty is not. Here are some of the differences.
How can you tell normal ageing from frailty?
Age UK says that about 10% of people over 65 live with frailty (about half of over-85s have it).
Those are high numbers, but prove that frailty doesn’t affect all older people.
Professor John Young, national clinical director for the frail elderly and integration at the NHS England, said: “In medicine, frailty defines the group of older people who are at highest risk of adverse outcomes such as falls, disability, admission to hospital, or the need for long-term care.”
The 2022 paper we mentioned earlier, meanwhile, says that while “normal” ageing happens pretty much equally across a person’s whole body at once, frailty disproportionately affects our metabolism, nerves, and muscles.
Age UK’s comment makes sense, then ― they say it “actually describes someone’s overall resilience and how this relates to their chance to recover quickly following health problems.”
It can manifest as weight loss, exhaustion, and conditions like poor eyesight, worse hearing, and arthritis. People with frailty are more likely to be housebound.
In other words, frailty lowers your reserves.
It means you have a much lower “buffer” of health and strength to battle against illnesses ― something like a UTI might make an aged person quite ill for a week, but it could affect a frail person severely for a very long time.
Is there anything we can do to prevent frailty?
A 2018 study saw 33% of frail older participants return to pre-frail status after a year, highlighting “the need for preventing and treating these conditions in later life.”
Professor John Young told the NHS that staying active, eating enough calories (and focusing on calorie-dense foods if that’s difficult), socialising, and even taking vitamin D can decrease the effects of frailty on a person’s life.
John’s Hopkins Medicine says that you may be able to decrease your risk of becoming frail in the first place by strength training, eating well, and staying socially connected and optimistic.