Journal
CANADIAN GERIATRICS JOURNAL
Volume 20, Issue 3, Pages 105-111Publisher
MULTIMED INC
DOI: 10.5770/cgj.20.274
Keywords
frailty; comprehensive geriatric assessment; frailty index; clinical frailty scale; Community Actions and Resources Empowering Seniors (CARES)
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Funding
- Canadian Foundation for Healthcare improvements EXTRA program
- Fountain Family Innovation Fund
- Fraser Health Authority
- philanthropic award via the QEII Health Sciences Center Foundation
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Background The purpose of this manuscript was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Community Actions and Resources Empowering Seniors (CARES) model in measuring and mitigating frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Methods The CARES model is based on a goal-oriented multidisciplinary primary care plan which combines a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) with health coaching. A total of 51 older adults (82 +/- 7 years; 33 females) participated in the pilot phase of this initiative. Frailty was measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the Frailty Index (FI-CGA) at baseline and at six-month follow-up. Results The FI-CGA at follow-up (0.21 +/- 0.08) was significantly lower than the FI-CGA at baseline (0.24 +/- 0.08), suggesting an average reduction of 1.8 deficits. Sixty-one per cent of participants improved their FI-CGA and 38% improved CFS categories. Participants classified as vulnerable/frail at baseline were more responsive to the intervention compared to non-frail participants. Conclusion Pilot data showed that it is feasible to assess frailty in primary care and that the CARES intervention might have a positive effect on frailty, a promising finding that requires further investigations. General practitioners who participate in the CARES model can now access their patients' FI-CGA scores at point of service through their electronic medical records.
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