Associations among frailty and quality of life in older patients with cancer treated with chemotherapy

Crowder, Sylvia L.; Hoogland, Aasha I.; Small, Brent J.; Carpenter, Kristen M.; Fischer, Stacy; Li, Daneng; Kinney, Anita Y.; Welniak, Taylor; Brownstein, Naomi C.; Reich, Richard R.; Hembree, Tim; Extermann, Martine; Kim, Richard; Afiat, Thanh-Phuong; Berry, Donna L.; Turner, Kea; Jim, Heather

doi:10.1016/j.jgo.2022.08.010

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term "lived experience" refers to the "personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in everyday events rather than through representations constructed by other people" [ 16 ]. Although, on average, older people living with frailty tend to have a lower quality of life than those classified as non-frail [ 17 ], Crowder et al [ 18 ] warned against generalisations when they reported that five days after receiving chemotherapy, frail older people with cancer actually reported a better quality of life than those who were classified as robust.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lived experience of frailty: beyond classification and towards a holistic understanding of health

Chenhuichen,

O’Halloran,

Lang

et al. 2024

Eur Geriatr Med

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Purpose Frailty is characterised by decreased physiological reserves and vulnerability to stressors. Although scales, such as the Fried’s Frailty Phenotype (FP), Frailty Index (FI), and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), are used to identify frailty, the lived experience of frailty remains understudied. Methods This cross-sectional observational research involved participants aged 65 years and older from Wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Participants were categorised into four independent groups: three frail groups based on the aforementioned scales and a non-frail group. Quantitative variables, including self-rated health, CASP-19 quality-of-life score, and frequency of social activities, were analysed and described. Results The study encompassed 1999 participants with an average age of 72 years, of whom 51% were women. FP exclusively identified 1.6% as frail (n = 32), FI 11.7% (n = 233), and CFS 6.8% (n = 135). More than 60% of all those classified as frail reported their health as good, very good, or excellent, with the lowest proportion (64%) being among frail by FI participants. Frail by FI participants exhibited the lowest mean average CASP-19 score, yet it remained relatively high at 39 out of 57 points. Over 77% of all frail individuals engaged in active leisure activities at least once a month. Conclusion This study underscores the need to comprehend frailty holistically beyond its mere identification. It challenges the prevailing belief that frailty inevitably leads to impaired quality of life and limited social engagement. The findings advocate for a reassessment of how both the general public and healthcare professionals perceive frailty.

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