Paper
Sunday, November 13, 2005
This presentation is part of : End of Life Issues
Palliative Care and Frail Older Adults
Barbara Raudonis, PhD, APRN, BC, School of Nursing, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
Learning Objective #1: Identify frailty as a current concern about the aging population
Learning Objective #2: Describe the clinical presentation of frailty in an older adult

Chronological age alone does not determine the vulnerability or frailty of an older adult. Fraility however, can impact an older adult's quality of life. This session will explain how frailty is an indication for palliative care in older adults. The presentation will include: a conceptual overview of frailty, description of its clinical presentation, a discussion of risk-factors, an explanation of the impact of co-morbidity, and suggested treatment options. The palliative care team's role in improving the quality of life for frail, older adults will be discussed.