Health promotion can postpone frailty: results from the RCT elderly persons in the risk zone

OBJECTIVE: Very old persons (80+) are often described as "frail", implying that they are particularly vulnerable to adverse health outcomes. Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone was designed to determine whether a preventive home visit or multiprofessional senior group meetings could postpone deterioration in frailty if the intervention is carried out when the person is not so frail.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE: The study was a RCT with follow-ups at 1 and 2 years. A total of 459 persons (80+), still living at home, were included. Participants were independent in activities of daily life and cognitively intact.

MEASURES: Frailty was measured in two complementary ways, with the sum of eight frailty indicators and with the Mob-T Scale measuring tiredness in daily activities.

RESULTS: Both interventions showed favorable effects in postponing the progression of frailty measured as tiredness in daily activities for up to 1 year. However, neither of the two interventions was effective in postponing frailty measured with the sum of frailty indicators.

CONCLUSIONS: The results in this study show the potential of health promotion to older persons. The multiprofessional approach, including a broad spectrum of information and knowledge, might have been an important factor contributing to a more positive view of aging.