This interactive workshop aims to enhance healthcare professionals’ understanding of frailty and its impact on patients later in life. Participants will learn how to prevent, identify, and manage frailty, with a focus on providing compassionate, patient-centred care. Effective communication strategies for working with frail individuals and their families will also be emphasised.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, delegates will be able to:
- Understand the concept of frailty and its significance in healthcare, including distinguishing frailty from ageing and chronic illness, and recognising the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to frailty.
- Identify early signs of frailty and apply preventive strategies, focusing on physical activity, nutrition, social engagement, and effective medication management to minimise frailty in older adults.
- Use frailty assessment tools such as the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), Edmonton Frail Scale, and PRISMA-7 to identify and assess frailty, and understand the differences between reversible and irreversible aspects of frailty.
- Develop patient-centred care plans that address the holistic needs of frail individuals, incorporating physical, emotional, and social aspects, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to manage frailty effectively.
- Improve communication skills when working with frail patients and their families, ensuring shared decision-making, addressing difficult conversations on mobility, falls, and end-of-life care, and overcoming communication barriers like cognitive decline and fatigue.
- Coordinate care across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring effective collaboration between GPs, nurses, therapists, social workers, and community services to provide comprehensive frailty care in both hospital and community settings.
Workshop Agenda
Below is an outline of the proposed agenda, if you have any questions please get in touch.
| Welcome & Introductions
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Understanding Frailty: What is it and Why it matters
- Definition of frailty and its importance in healthcare
- Differences between aging, frailty, and chronic illness
- Biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to frailty
- The Frailty Cycle: weakness, fatigue, weight loss, and reduced activity
Activities:
- Group discussion on participants’ experiences of working with frail patients
- Overview of the Frailty Phenotype and Frailty Index frameworks
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Preventing Frailty: Strategies for Early Intervention
- Early identification of at-risk individuals
- Importance of physical activity, nutrition, and social engagement in preventing frailty
- Role of medication management in preventing frailty (avoiding polypharmacy)
- The significance of promoting independence and functional ability in older adults
Activities:
- Case studies: Identifying early warning signs of frailty and discussing preventative strategies
- Group brainstorm: How to promote physical activity and social engagement for older adults in various care settings
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Identifying Frailty: Recognising the Indicators
- Frailty indicators: weight loss, exhaustion, slow walking speed, low physical activity, muscle weakness
- Introduction to frailty assessment tools: Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), Edmonton Frail Scale, and PRISMA-7
- Identifying reversible vs. irreversible aspects of frailty
- The role of comprehensive geriatric assessments in detecting and managing frailty
Activities:
- Practical demonstration: Using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) in practice
- Group work: Assessing frailty in a series of patient scenarios using frailty tools
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| BREAK |
Living with Frailty: Providing Holistic, Patient-Centred Care
- Understanding the physical, emotional, and social challenges of living with frailty
- Multidisciplinary approaches to managing frailty: involving physical therapy, social services, dieticians, and community support
- The role of family and caregivers in managing frailty
- Palliative care considerations for frail individuals
Activities:
- Case study discussion: Creating a care plan for a frail patient with complex needs
- Group reflection: How to maintain dignity and quality of life for frail individuals
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Communication Strategies for Frailty Care
- Challenges in communication with frail patients: cognitive decline, hearing loss, fatigue
- Best practices for shared decision-making with frail individuals
- How to discuss difficult topics such as mobility decline, falls, and end-of-life care
- Communication strategies for involving families and caregivers in care planning
Activities:
- Role-play: Having a conversation with a frail patient and their family about care goals and frailty management
- Group reflection: Identifying barriers to effective communication and solutions
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Conclusion & Next Steps
- Summary of key takeaways
- Q&A session
- Distribution of handouts on frailty indicators, assessment tools, and communication tips
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| Close |
