Frailty is a medical condition which causes people to lose some of their strength, resilience and ability to do everyday things.

It can be caused by health problems and often affects people more as they get older. It can worsen by being lonely, alone or bereaved.

We want to support people to maintain their physical and mental well-being and remain independent in older age.

One of the best things you can do to lower your risk of developing frailty, or limit your frailty, is eating healthily, staying active, and keeping connected in your community.

We Can Move, coordinated by Active Gloucestershire, has lots of advice and support for older adults. This includes ‘fall-proof’, a series of strength and balance exercises you can do from home. Find out more about  keeping healthy and active in the prevention section.

As you get older, it is common to develop long term conditions, start to lose some mobility and become more frail, which may mean you need extra support to stay well at home. Some GP Practices have specialist frailty nurses who will support you to understand your priorities and develop plans to meet your health, social and wellbeing needs. In some cases, you may receive support from one of the Integrated Community Teams, made up of community nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and reablement workers, provided by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The health professionals supporting you will do everything they can to help you keep strong and maintain your independence to keep you at home, but should you need to see a specialist doctor or go into hospital, you will be looked after by the old-age medicine service at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dieticians, social workers, pharmacists and psychologists are specialists in caring for older people who may be frail.

The Frailty Assessment Service at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals works with community services to provide specialist assessment and support for older people who attend the Emergency Department with signs of frailty. They ensure that coordination of the right treatment and support can enable people to return home more quickly and help them maintain their independence.

The Out of Hospital service, provided by Age UK Gloucestershire, can support you for up to four weeks after a stay in hospital, helping you to identify what is important to you to get back on your feet.

More information

Exercise guidance for older adults

Age UK Gloucestershire