Pan Edmund, Bloomfield Katherine, Boyd Michal
Freemasons' Department of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
School of Nursing, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Int J Older People Nurs. 2019 Dec;14(4):e12261. doi: 10.1111/opn.12261. Epub 2019 Aug 2.
Despite increasing importance placed upon the identification of frailty among the older population, scholarship is limited around the perception of older adults towards the term. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the perceptions of older adults in a New Zealand setting towards the term "frail".
Twelve participants identified as frail based on unrelated comprehensive geriatric assessment were approached and interviewed in their own homes. Interviews were transcribed ad verbatim and analysed by general inductive approach.
There was a diverse conceptualisation of frailty among the participants, across physical, cognitive and social dimensions, which differed from professional definitions of frailty. Participants maintained a neutral stance towards the concept of frailty and, however, reject its application to themselves. They also highlight the importance of independence and resilience in the staving off of frailty and the maintenance of quality of life.
This study suggests health professionals should shift focus on clinical encounters with the older patient, away from the deficits of frailty and towards independence, resilience and autonomy.
Frail older adults often reject the term frailty when used about themselves, therefore using this term in communication with older adults may have negative consequences.
尽管在老年人群体中对衰弱的识别越来越受到重视，但关于老年人对该术语的认知的学术研究却很有限。这项定性研究旨在调查新西兰老年人对“衰弱”一词的认知。
根据无关的综合老年评估确定为衰弱的12名参与者在家中接受了访谈。访谈逐字记录，并采用一般归纳法进行分析。
参与者对衰弱的概念化在身体、认知和社会层面上各不相同，这与衰弱的专业定义不同。参与者对衰弱概念保持中立态度，但拒绝将其应用于自己身上。他们还强调了独立性和恢复力在避免衰弱和维持生活质量方面的重要性。
本研究表明，健康专业人员应将与老年患者临床接触的重点从衰弱的缺陷转移到独立性、恢复力和自主性上。
衰弱的老年人在被用于描述自己时通常会拒绝“衰弱”这个词，因此在与老年人交流中使用这个词可能会产生负面后果。
