Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Respecting frailty
  1. Laurie H Mallery,
  2. Paige Moorhouse
  1. Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Laurie H Mallery, Head, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, QEII Health Sciences Centre, 5955 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Ste. 2650, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1, Canada; laurie.mallery{at}cdha.nshealth.ca

Abstract

While the medical treatment of older individuals often results in desirable outcomes, indiscriminate use of aggressive treatment at the end-of-life can cause paradoxical harm and suffering. Comprehensive assessment and communication can help foster decisions that consider the effect of frailty on health outcomes.

  • Truth disclosure
  • aged
  • quality of health care
  • attitudes toward death

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

Other content recommended for you