This report aims to highlight frailty as one of the public health priorities and provide information on how healthcare systems should plan prevention and frailty management.

Demographic ageing is one of the major priorities and challenges faced by the European Union (EU) and its Member States (MS). Elderly people are at a higher risk of suffering frailty and developing disabilities, which impacts on social welfare and on the sustainability of healthcare systems.

Within this context, the ADVANTAGE, Joint Action co-funded by the Public Health Programme of the European Union 2014-2020, seeks to support healthcare systems in frailty management. This project intends to implement a common European framework to address the issue of frailty in population. The consortium, made up of 22 member states and 40 organisations, is dedicated to the analysis of demographic change and the growing demand in terms of social and health care caused by the burden of chronic diseases, frailty, disability and ageing.

The State-of-the-Art Report on Frailty, issued by ADVANTAGE JA partners and discussed with a Panel of Experts, is the outcome of the review on scientific evidence on this matter. This is a starting point to develop a common concept framework and offer social-healthcare policy recommendations in the future to European healthcare systems.

The document addresses key questions which facilitate an integrated approach to frailty:

  • What is frailty?
  • Why is it a public health problem?
  • What is the relationship of frailty with chronic diseases?
  • How can we prevent frailty?
  • How should social care and healthcare systems be adapted to care for frail patients?

Thus, the main results reflect the heterogeneity of MS and healthcare and social care systems in a scenario of demographic change and economic restrictions in the EU. These conclusions are intended to assist decision-making regarding policies to prevent and deal with frailty in JA participating States; and aimed at reducing disability among the elderly in Europe.

For further information about the ADVANTAGE JA project, click the following link: