[Frailty in people with intellectual disabilities: operationalization, risks and detection]

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Intellectual Disabilities Research
• Public Health

Background:

• The aging population with intellectual disabilities (ID) faces unique health challenges.
• Early onset of functional decline in individuals with ID may be attributed to frailty.
• Existing frailty assessment tools require validation in the ID population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure frailty in older adults with ID using an adapted frailty index.
• To establish the validity and predictive value of the frailty index in this population.
• To examine the prevalence and adverse health outcomes associated with frailty in individuals with ID.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Healthy Aging and Intellectual Disability (HA-ID) study.
• Employed an adapted frailty index comprising 50 health and age-related deficits.
• Analyzed a study population of 982 adults aged 50+ with ID over a 3-year follow-up period.

Main Results:

• Individuals with ID exhibited earlier and more severe frailty compared to the general population.
• Frailty was significantly associated with increased mortality, functional disabilities (daily living, mobility), medication use, and care intensity.
• No significant association was found between frailty and hospitalization rates.

Conclusions:

• The adapted frailty index is a valid measure for assessing frailty in older adults with ID.
• Frailty is a significant predictor of adverse health outcomes in this population.
• Interventions aimed at increasing healthy life years in people with ID are warranted.