Deconstructing frailty: a biosocial approach to prevention, CY P03 23 02

New interventions to delay frailty are urgently required to reduce its burden in the primary, secondary, and adult and social care systems in the UK.Frailty is defined as an impaired ability to respond to adverse situations (e.g. infections, falls, surgery) when compared to a non-frail state. This is due to a decline in function in multiple organs, including the brain, immune, cardiovascular and neuromuscular functions.Frailty is common in those over the age of 65 and sharply increases in those over the age of 80. Recent studies in the UK estimate a sharp increase in the population affected (almost double for those above 85 by 2045), hence the importance of the study we are proposing. In this project, we will analyse frailty over time and how certain drugs might play an important role in the acceleration or deceleration of frailty. We propose using these findings to design new interventions. To achieve this, we will use a unique blend of backgrounds: clinicians with expertise in frailty, researchers experts in the study of ageing, inequality and intersectionality, co-production, and machine learning.

30/06/2021

7 years