Gerontological assessment of frailty and activities of daily living in individuals aged 80 and over applying to the life clinic: The Ardahan province example

Objective: This study aims to investigate the daily living activities and clinical frailty status of individuals aged 80 and over living in Ardahan province who applied to the Ardahan State Hospital's Life Clinic, and to evaluate these from a gerontological perspective. Method: This study collected data using a quantitative survey method. The data collection tools consisted of the Sociodemographic Information Form, Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living, and the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale. The study was conducted with 154 volunteers selected through consecutive sampling. Data were gathered via face-to-face interviews, and informed consent was obtained. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Since normality assumptions were not met, nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, Spearman correlation) were applied. Results: A strong negative correlation was found between the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living and the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale, indicating that as frailty increases, functional independence decreases. Additionally, it was observed that as age increases, ADL scores decrease while frailty scores increase. Frailty levels were found to be higher in females compared to males. Individuals with lower education levels showed greater dependence in ADL. Similarly, marital status was found to have a statistically significant effect on both ADL and frailty scores. Conclusion: It has been shown that frailty in older adults is multidimensional and is influenced not only by medical factors but also by bio-psycho-social factors, which form the basis of gerontological assessment. In light of these findings, the importance of a holistic approach in gerontological evaluation is emphasized; increasing the number of YAŞAM centers that facilitate the assessment of ADL and frailty in older adults is considered to facilitate early detection and intervention, thereby positively contributing to the quality of life of the elderly.