Spain’s Ministry of Health issues document for frailty prevention in the elderly

On June, 1, the Spain’s Ministry of Health published the updated Consensus Document on the Prevention of Frailty in the Elderly 2022, which was approved by the Public Health Commission on 5 May 2022 and had not been updated since 2014.

The document published by Spain’s Ministry of Health explains that the progressive ageing and increase in longevity of the population is a reality and that Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

The main objective of this document is to ensure that this longevity is accompanied by good health, which is why it proposes working on this vital transition, so that it can be developed in an active and healthy way, reducing the processes of dependence or disability, acting on the environments and modifiable factors such as fragility.

Frailty in Spain has an estimated prevalence of 18 per cent in people aged 65 and over, 12 per cent at community level and 45 per cent in health care. It is a public health priority due to its high prevalence, which is expected to rise as it is a factor associated with age.

And especially because it is preventable, detectable and treatable. Addressing frailty will lead to a more autonomous elderly population with greater functional capacity to live a full life in their community.

The update proposes the active recruitment of people aged 70 and over, both in the health and community settings, to assess their situation and rule out the presence of established moderate-severe dependency, as they may benefit from other specific programmes.

The document proposes that people with a high suspicion of frailty should be reassessed every 6 months and those who are not frail should be reassessed annually. Promotion of healthy lifestyles will be carried out for all individuals.

The Spanish Ministry of Health published a link to the document on their official Twitter account:

📰 Sanidad actualiza el documento de prevención de la #fragilidad, una condición que afecta a un 18% de los mayores de 65 años

🔗https://t.co/oIBFL8S0S7

🔊 Prevenir la fragilidad es posible#EnvejecimientoSaludable pic.twitter.com/TaHcjd9Lvo

— Ministerio de Sanidad (@sanidadgob) June 1, 2022

Credit: @sanidadgob

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