Frailty in People with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The last two centuries, the increased life expectancy has led to a shift in the age distribution towards higher ages, in high-income countries. Although the total number of older people is increasing and people reach a higher age, the additional life years are not always healthy years. As a consequence, both individuals and society have to deal with age-related health problems including chronic diseases, cognitive decline, social isolation and disabilities in daily functioning. As Clegg and coauthors recently stressed in the Lancet, eventually, the accumulation of such problems may lead to the onset of frailty, a phenomenon receiving increased attention in both science and health care. Frail individuals are more likely to deteriorate in their daily functioning, develop mobility limitations, are more often hospitalized, develop more often chronic diseases and have shorter survival probabilities. With increased longevity, the number of frail older persons is increasing, making frailty one of the major health care problems in high-income countries.