P.more than 1 in 5 over-60s in Italy is fragile. That is, almost 4 million people present a moderate or severe frailty which makes them vulnerable and for which continuous monitoring and assistance is required. To these are added 13 million, therefore 3 out of 4 elderly people, who are affected by five or more chronic diseases. This is what emerges from the survey by Long-lived Italy.
Fragility of the elderly: the survey by Italia Longeva
This year’s in-depth study enters with a straight leg on the theme of fragility. A term that has been inflated during the last two and a half years, but which represents the heart of the problem if you really want to address the issues of the social assistance needs of the elderly. Including the corresponding responses, still underpowered, as emerges from the survey, of the territorial long-term care services.
The National Association for Aging and Active Longevity, established in 2011 since Ministry of Health created the first map of fragility, using a sample of 440 thousand over-60s representative of the Italian population. The results of the survey have just been presented to the Ministry of Health during the seventh edition of the two-day “States General of Long-Term Care – Long-Term Care SEVEN“.
Know the state of health of the country
What emerges is that the Covidwith the high toll of lives among the elderly, brought the concept of fragility to the fore and it made it clear to everyone, even to laymen. Highlighting, however, once again and even more intensely, how much it is important to have fair, effective and efficient territorial long-term care services.
This year’s analysis of Italia Longeva enters with a straight leg on the theme of fragility
Adequate facilities and services
“Being able to measure the fragility and map it on the territory is a necessary step if we really want to know the state of health of our country” explains Roberto Bernabei President Italy Longeva in the preface of the report.
“Recognize fragility in time” continues Bernabei “allows the doctor to intervene on the individual patient with personalized care before the condition worsens further ».
But not only: “Knowing which Regions and Provinces of Italy are characterized by a higher prevalence of fragility and multimorbidity allows to allocate resources, professionals, structures and services adequate to respond promptly to the needs of the most vulnerable to long-term care”.
The questions that need to be answered urgently
After all, frailty is the main obstacle to successful aging: it reduces the quality of life, predisposes to the development of severe disabilities and generates a high consumption of social and health resources. But how do you recognize? How is it measured? How many frail elderly are there in our country? Is there a correspondence between the number of frail elderly people and the social assistance resources set up to guarantee their health conditions?
These are the questions that Italia Longeva, in collaboration with the Italian Society of General Medicine and Primary Care, has tried to answer. Obtaining uninspiring results.
Over 1 million elderly people suffering from severe frailty
Indeed, it turns out that 6.5% of the over-60 populationapproximately 1,200,000 people, is suffering from severe frailty, a percentage that varies according to the areas of the country. In the lead are the regions of the South and the Islands (8.2%), down from those of the Center (6.2%) and the North (5.3%).
There black shirt for a greater relative number of elderly people with severe frailty it is up to the province of Rieti (14.4%), followed by Salerno (12%) e Trapani (11.9). But also Campania and Sicily they have 7 provinces among the top 10 with the highest percentages. On the other hand, the cities that show a lower concentration, with values up to ten times lower, are Asti (1.9%), Macerata (2.1%) e Bolzano (2.4%).
In addition, determining the level of fragility of the population also come into play socio-demographic variables: the severe frailty grows with increasing agepassing from 0.8 per cent in the 60-65 age group to 17.3 per cent in the over 80s, ed is greater in the provinces with lower values of average per capita income.
«The PNRR for the National Health Service is an opportunity to modernize the network of territorial assistance, but a control room that“ governs ”the fragility is indispensable. It is not enough to enhance the services, it is necessary to connect them with the hospital and with the new structures provided for by the NRP, ensuring that the elderly are taken care of in the best place according to the degree of complexity of their needs», Concludes the president of Italia Longeva.
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