The ageing population is one of the most serious challenges that Europe currently faces. Each year, the elderly are at a higher risk of becoming frail and developing disabilities associated with ageing with the resulting loss of quality of life. In this context, the ADVANTAGE JA (Joint Action) was born, co-financed by the Third Health Programme of the European Union 2014-2020. It is coordinated by Spain, specifically the Getafe University Hospital, and has involvement of 33 institutions from 22 Member States, including Kronikgune and Osakidetza representing the Basque Country.

On 19 June, the second meeting of ADVANTAGE JA Spanish partners was held in Valencia. The event gathered national, autonomous region and local health and social care policy-makers, professional medical, nursing, and social care associations, representatives of bodies and institutions, foundations and associations of senior citizens, trained and untrained carers as well as patient organisations. The aim was to present to the attendees the two reports created by all the project partners after a year and a half of work:

  • The Report on the state-of-the-art on frailty Based on scientific evidence, it serves to define a conceptual common work framework, upon which to base the recommendations on health and social policies for preventing and managing frailty in the future.
  • The Report on care for frailty in Spain Based on a questionnaire filled out by the healthcare managers of the Autonomous Regions participating in the JA that provides a view of the running programmes and activities and some aspect to be improved.

The meeting allowed to cover and discuss aspects related to frailty and the most appropriate way to deal with this situation that affects society: What is frailty? Why is it a public health problem? How can it be prevented and treated? How should health care systems be adapted to care for frail patients?

Representing the Basque Country, Osakidetza participated in two round tables. In one of them it demonstrated the Basque Healthcare System’s experience regarding the detection and care of frailty in Primary Care, and in the second it expressed the viewpoint of whether health systems are prepared to deal with the challenge of frailty.

Recently, within the framework of the project, a scientific article was published regarding the definition of frailty, in which Kronikgune participated. You can view the article by clicking on the following link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953620518301778

Click here if you wish to learn more about the project: https://www.kronikgune.org/advantage-proyecto/ or visit its official website, linking on the following URL: http://www.advantageja.eu/