The evaluation of vulnerability in elderly patients according to the edmonton scale and affecting sociodemographic factors

Introduction: Frailty is a medical problem especially seen in people aged 65 and over. Method: The elderly population is increasing and the average life expectancy is increasing due to the decrease in the fertility rate and the developing health industry both in the world and in our country. In this environment where the population over 65 years of age is increasing, fragility is an important public health problem. This study was carried out to determine the frequency of frailty in the elderly who applied to the Geriatrics and Internal Diseases Polyclinic of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, the factors affecting it and the relations between each other. Results: 100 volunteer participants were included in the study. 58% (n=58) of the participants were female and 42% (n=42) were male, and the mean age of the research group was 73.46±6.25 (min:65; max:94) years. According to the Edmonton frail scale, 58% of the participants were found to be frail. 17% were mildly frail, 20% moderately frail, and 21% severely frail. The incidence of frailty was found to be associated with advanced age, female gender, presence of diabetes, presence of hypertension, history of CVO, coronary artery disease, polypharmacy and not having any hobby. Conclusion: The incidence of frailty is high in patients aged 65 and over who applied to our Internal Medicine and Geriatrics outpatient clinic, and appropriate health care should be provided for this group by evaluating frailty risk factors in patients over 65 years of age with an appropriate geriatric approach. Key Words : Fraility, geriatrics, Edmonton frail scale