Frailty in Older Adults:
Towards a Better Understanding of Physiology and Etiology
January 27-30 2004, Baltimore, MD
Supported by: The National Institute on Aging, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the American Geriatrics Society.
About the Conference
‘Frailty in Older Adults: Towards Better Understanding of Physiology and Etiology’ sought to define the current state of understanding regarding the potential phenotypes of frailty and its underlying etiologies, potential applications of other areas of research to frailty, and future directions to determine the etiology of frailty in older adults, prevention and treatment. This was the first in a new conference series setting a research agenda for high priority clinical issues where research potential and clinical relevance was high. Presenters provided evidence from topics such as the underlying physiology and biology of this multi-system disorder, the interactions between systems that may be key to the aggregate impact of frailty, and the potential directions to consider for research and interventions. (see Conference agenda).
The conference objectives were: (1) to develop and then translate research results into clinical care that will improve the health outcomes of older adults. (2) to provide an understanding of the state of the field and of findings in other fields that may be applicable to research on frailty, and through this, lay the basis for a new generation of research to characterize the underlying biology of frailty and identify opportunities for prevention and treatment.
Conference Report
*denotes NIH Representative
