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Frailty rates increased rapidly among older people during the years of government austerity policies in the 2010s, a new study has found.
The study, published in PLOS ONE and led by the University of Edinburgh, found that older adults from lower socioeconomic groups were more likely to develop frailty compared to any other group.
The British Geriatrics Society says it is vital that the next government has a ‘clear strategy’ to improve prevention, care and support services, not just for older people who already live with frailty, but for those at risk of developing it in the future.
Frailty affects up to 50% of adults aged 65 and over
Frailty affects around one in 10 people aged 65 and over, and up to half of adults over the age of 85. It is associated with increased mortality, hospitalisation, falls and admission to long-term care.
Frailty therefore has a huge impact on the health service, with the condition costing the NHS £5.8 billion per year.
While previous research has linked a stalling in life expectancy to austerity measures, it was unclear which mechanisms have had negative impacts on health and mortality.
To address this gap, the researchers analysed data on the frailty index, which captures broad age-related declines in functional ability and physical and mental health.
Austerity measures need careful consideration given the possible impacts
The study used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing 2002-2018, and included 16,410 people with a mean age of 67 in the study. They then compared frailty rates across this time period to see if they increased once austerity measures were introduced.
From 2010 onwards, they found that frailty index scores increased more rapidly with age across all population, gender and socioeconomic groups, but particularly so among older people.
Indeed, frailty index rates among the poorest women aged 85 and over increased by 0.013 per year between 2002 and 2010, and by 0.021 per year between 2012 and 2018.
The additional increase in frailty for all ages from 2012 to 2018 was similar in magnitude to the difference in mean frailty score between people five years apart – those aged 65-69 and those aged 70-74.
The authors conclude that the period of austerity politics was associated with steeper increases in frailty with age compared to the pre–austerity period, and frailty may be one mechanism through which public spending reductions have had negative impacts on health and mortality.
They say austerity measures therefore need careful consideration given the possible impacts on the health of an ageing population.
Frailty can be prevented and reversed when the right interventions are in place
Professor Adam Gordon, President of the British Geriatrics Society, says this study illustrates “the longer-term costs of austerity” and it is essential that this government, and future governments, have the correct policies in place to identify and prevent frailty.
“Older people with frailty use health and social care services more than any other population group. Despite this, services are not designed around the needs of this user group.
“Older people are more likely than other age groups to face long waits in emergency departments and are more likely to get stuck in hospital because of a lack of care available in the community. This has a knock-on effect on the whole system,” said Professor Gordon.
“Frailty is not an inevitable part of ageing – we know that it can be prevented and, if identified early enough, may be reversed with the right interventions. As we approach an election, it is essential that all major political parties have clear strategies for investing in prevention, care and support services, not just for older people who already live with frailty, but for those at risk of developing it in the future,” he added.