Building Research Infrastructure to Address Psychosocial Frailty and Reach Underserved Aging Populations.

Abstract

Frailty is prevalent in adults aged ≥50 years, particularly among under-served minorities. Frailty is a multidimensional concept including physical, psychological, and social frailty, and any definition of frailty should meet the criterion of practicality that could be measurable, preventable, or modified by interventions and clinically reasonable. Early detection and tailored interventions can delay the progression of frailty and prevent adverse health outcomes. However, there is limited recruitment of underserved minorities and lack of research on early detection of multidimensional frailty and embedded adaptive systems that adequately meet the needs of aging populations. Nursing scientists, public health professionals, and policymakers should be aware of each dimension of frailty while addressing frailty and creating substantial research infrastructure development to prevent frailty that reaches populations in rural, suburban, and urban areas and benefits a larger research community. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental health Services, 63(2), 7-10.].