Integrating Frailty into Clinical Practice to Prevent the Risk of Dependency in the Elderly

Geriatric medicine started to be developed approximately 40 years ago when the increasing number of older adults with disability and dementia admitted to hospital emergency units threatened the sustainability of the healthcare organizations. Today, almost 90% of the geriatric medicine forces are devoted to the care of age-related disabilities. The epidemiological scenario and the high healthcare costs required for the management of dependent individuals require the adoption of strategies aimed at preventing the loss of physical function and anticipate the take in charge of older persons at risk of negative outcomes. Major medical specialties (e.g., oncology, cardiology, neurology…) have already moved to an early stage of the diseases to be more effective. Geriatric medicine must do the same moving to frailty an early stage of disability were intervention are more likely to be effective.