Assessing Sarcopenia, Frailty, and Malnutrition in Community-Dwelling Dependant Older Adults—An Exploratory Home-Based Study of an Underserved Group in Research

Lauren Swan (), Niamh Martin, N Frances Horgan, Austin Warters and Maria O’Sullivan
Additional contact information
Lauren Swan: Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
Niamh Martin: Older Person Services CHO9, Health Service Executive (HSE), D09 C8P5 Dublin, Ireland
N Frances Horgan: School of Physiotherapy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland
Austin Warters: Older Person Services CHO9, Health Service Executive (HSE), D09 C8P5 Dublin, Ireland
Maria O’Sullivan: Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Adults of advanced age, with functional dependency, socioeconomic disadvantage, or a need for home care, are expected to be at high risk of sarcopenia, frailty and malnutrition, yet are likely to be underrepresented in research. We aimed to explore the assessment of sarcopenia, frailty, and malnutrition in-home, and to describe the practicality of performing these assessments. Methods: Home-based health assessments and post-study feedback surveys were conducted among community-dwelling older adults ≥65 years in receipt of state-funded home care ( n = 31). Assessments included probable sarcopenia [hand-grip strength (HGS), chair rise-test, and SARC-F case-finding tool], the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Results: The study group was of mean age 83.2 ± 8.2 years, 74% were female and 23% lived in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Almost all met the criteria for probable sarcopenia (94%, n = 29/31), were frail or vulnerable by the CFS (97%, n = 30/31), and over a quarter were at risk of malnutrition (26%, n = 8). Participants had low physical activity (71.0%, n = 22/31), with a mean daytime average of 11.4 ± 1.6 h spent sitting. It was possible to assess probable sarcopenia (by HGS and SARC-F, but not the chair rise test), malnutrition (MNA), and frailty (CFS). Home-based research was a complex environment, and unearthed significant unmet need, prompting referrals to health services (36%, n = 11), in addition to technology assistance. The majority of participants (93%) reported a willingness to partake in future research. Conclusions: Most community-dwelling older people in receipt of home support, assessed in this exploratory study, were at risk of probable sarcopenia, frailty, and low physical activity, with over a quarter were at risk of malnutrition. Our initial findings provide practical data for large scale studies and may inform the development of intervention studies aiming to support ageing in place.

Keywords: older adult; home care; sarcopenia; frailty; malnutrition; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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