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FRAILTY, SARCOPENIA AND LONG TERM CARE UTILIZATION IN OLDER POPULATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Q Roquebert1, J Sicsic, B Santos-Eggimann
1Jonathan Sicsic (PhD), LIRAES, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, Université de Paris 75006 Paris, Jonathan.sicsic@u-paris.fr. +33(0)177219361.
The Journal of Frailty & Aging
|June 9, 2021
Summary
Physical frailty is linked to increased long-term care use in older adults. Evidence supports a connection between frailty and nursing home placement or formal personal care. Sarcopenia
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Physical health decline, including frailty and sarcopenia, impacts older adults' independence.
- Long-term care (LTC) services are crucial for supporting aging populations.
- Understanding the link between physical health and LTC utilization is vital for healthcare planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the evidence on the association between physical frailty or sarcopenia and the use of long-term care services.
- To synthesize findings across various LTC outcomes, including nursing home placement and home care.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
- Searched multiple databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier) for studies published between 2000-2018.
- Included quantitative studies on individuals aged 50+ with measures of frailty/sarcopenia and LTC outcomes.
Main Results:
- Out of 1943 studies, 17 were included. Frailty/sarcopenia showed an association with increased LTC use in 17 of 26 assessed outcomes.
- Evidence strongly supports a link between physical frailty and nursing home placement/short stay, and formal personal care.
- Associations were less consistent or inconclusive for formal home help and informal care, with scarce data on sarcopenia.
Conclusions:
- Physical frailty is associated with increased utilization of long-term care services, particularly nursing home placement and formal personal care.
- Further research using longitudinal data and advanced statistical methods is needed to confirm findings, especially for sarcopenia.
- These findings highlight the importance of addressing physical health in older adults to potentially reduce long-term care needs.
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