The British Geriatric Society refers to five ‘frailty syndromes’:
- Falls (eg collapse, legs gave way, ‘found lying on floor’).
- Immobility (eg sudden change in mobility, ‘gone off legs’ ‘stuck in toilet’).
- Delirium (eg acute confusion, ’muddledness’, sudden worsening of confusion in someone with previous dementia or known memory loss).
- Incontinence (eg change in continence – new onset or worsening of urine or faecal incontinence).
- Susceptibility to side effects of medication (eg confusion with codeine, hypotension with antidepressants).
Our Frailty nurses are Linda and Lisa.