Social frailty interventions that can best support vulnerable older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review
- Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Total publications:1 publications
Grant number: 172657
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Key facts
Disease
COVID-19Start & end year
20202020Known Financial Commitments (USD)
$75,000Funder
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)Principal Investigator
Jayna Marie Holroyd-Leduc, Monika KastnerResearch Location
CanadaLead Research Institution
North York General HospitalResearch Priority Alignment
N/A
Research Category
Policies for public health, disease control & community resilience
Research Subcategory
Approaches to public health interventions
Special Interest Tags
N/A
Study Type
Non-Clinical
Clinical Trial Details
N/A
Broad Policy Alignment
Pending
Age Group
Older adults (65 and older)
Vulnerable Population
Vulnerable populations unspecified
Occupations of Interest
Unspecified
Abstract
By the year 2050, two billion people worldwide will be 60 years of age and older. Global life expectancies are also on the rise, leading to an increased number of seniors who will develop chronic conditions and frailty. Given these projections, frailty is fast becoming a public health concern. Frailty is multidimensional (it affects biological, psychological, and social processes of a person's life), and therefore can lead to reduced functional ability, falls, disability, decreased quality of life, and death. Of the three types of frailty (physical, psychological, and social), social frailty is the least well understood. It is defined as "a continuum of being at risk of losing, or having lost, social and general resources, activities or abilities that are important for fulfilling one or more basic social needs during the life span". During public health emergencies such as COVID-19, social vulnerabilities such as social frailty represent an even greater threat to the health of older adults. However, we know very little about the risk factors and interventions that may prevent or reverse social frailty. Therefore, our research goals are to better understand interventions addressing social frailty in older adults by conducting a systematic review and a realist review. The results of this work will help decision makers understand which social frailty interventions can best address the needs of vulnerable older adults impacted by isolation during COVID-19 or other disease outbreaks requiring similar public health measures.
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