Perceptions of frailty and falls in older adults using an English regional ambulance service: A descriptive...

Frailty is of increasing importance for healthcare systems as well as the personalised care agenda. Despite the evolving body of research exploring frailty and falls in the ambulance setting, the voices of frail older adults who use ambulance services, are seldom heard. Through first-hand accounts, this study set out to describe the experiences and perceptions of frailty for a cohort of older adults.

A descriptive phenomenological study involving eight participants with frailty who used a regional English National Health Service (NHS) ambulance service following a fall, conducted between July 2022-February 2023.

Accounts from older adults highlight different perceptions of frailty and attitudes towards ageing. Frailty and falls were experienced through varying perceptions of identity and self, underpinned by acceptance, or otherwise, of an altered sense of embodiment and a life with limits.

Older adults generally hold negative perceptions of frailty, falls and ageing, but also challenged the negative terms frequently used to describe frailty, suggesting some frail older adults remain positive and still value life. Paramedics are likely to require further training and support to manage patients with frailty effectively and improve patient experience.

This study uniquely explores frailty and falls through the stories of older adults using an NHS ambulance service. It highlights that older adults in this setting often differ from the older population in general, have a higher frailty prevalence than patients in other settings and appear to view the future with greater pessimism.