Frailty is a clinical state that is associated with an increased risk of harm, admission to hospital, disability, and poorer quality of life. Frailty refers to a loss of physical strength and physiological reserve, means that an individual living with frailty is more vulnerable to the physically stressing effects of diseases, infections, and injuries. Because of this increased vulnerability, individuals who are frail sometimes require increased care support and monitoring, from medical and allied health, social supports, and personal care.
While there is no absolute standard for frailty, the commonly accepted characteristics of present and increasing frailty include unintentional weightloss, an increasing sense of difficulty in performing reglar tasks like self-care, decreasing engagement with physical activity, slow walking speed, and physical weakness. Not all of these factors need to be present in an individual to classify them as medically frail. The effect of these factors can be amplified by other issues such as disabilities, diseases, physical and cognitive impairments and other risk factors.
Frailty is most commonly seen in the elderly, though any individual can experience frailty as a consequence of illness, injury, or some other factor that depletes the body's ability to maintain itself. For this reason, while frailty is associated with ageing, frailty is a problem separate to ageing and increasing geriatry. Because of this, anyone who experiences a chronic illness, who spends a long time in hospital, or who becomes injured runs the risk of frailty.
Management of frailty through engagement with physiotherapy depends on the degree of impairment and physical change that the individual has experienced as a consequence of their frailty. If someone at risk of developing frailty is attended to rapidly, they stand a greater chance of avoiding more serious effects of weakness and poor energy. For those individuals whose frailty has progressed to the extent that they experience difficulty walking, moving, and engaging with structured exercise, physiotherapy focuses on basic reconditioning with a view to minimising future risk.
Regardless of the factors contributing to frailty or the aims of the treatment, management of the frail individual is always multi-disciplinary, requiring oversight from a medical practitioner like a physician or specialist in addition to one or a few allied health professionals.
Managing discomfort requires looking closely at several important aspects: the underlying cause, how symptoms shift throughout the day, what tends to ease or aggravate the pain, and how long you’ve been experiencing it. Each of these factors is carefully reviewed during your initial consultation, which serves as the first step toward reducing discomfort and creating an effective plan for ongoing management. From this assessment, your treatment plan is tailored to your individual situation, with a clear focus on minimising pain, restoring comfortable and pain‑free movement, and introducing practical strategies designed to prevent future flare‑ups and setbacks, helping you maintain long‑term wellbeing.
At Atlas Physio, we provide clear education, structured care, and consistent monitoring both in‑clinic and at home, ensuring you feel supported throughout every stage of recovery. To make care accessible and convenient, we’re open seven days a week, offer evening appointments, provide bulk billing for eligible clients, and charge no gap for WorkCover or TAC clients. Reach out to us today and take the first step toward living more comfortably, safely, and well, supported by care that is reliable, straightforward, and effective, and designed to help you achieve lasting results with confidence.