Background

While end of life services for cancer are well developed, the majority of older adults live and die with a combination of frailty, disability and multiple chronic conditions.

This study assessed the growing literature on early intervention to support dying well, and looked to show when and how to identify frail older adults with end of life and palliative care needs, and discussed why this might or might not be advantageous.

Aims and objectives

• How can older people with frailty be identified at the end of life (prognostication)?
• Does early identification and intervention improve experiences and outcomes in end of life care for older adults who do not have cancer?
• When is the optimal time to identify and intervene with older people dying with frailty?

Resources and further information

• Webinar: The Older People and Frailty Unit – End of Life Care Research (YouTube).
• Publication: Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end-of-life: A systematic review (Palliative Medicine)
• Report: “Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end of life: a systematic review”

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