Physicians could help people avoid injury, disability and possibly even early death by identifying and helping those likely to become frail as they age, says a leading expert in geriatric medicine.
Unlike ageing, "frailty" is a treatable and potentially reversible condition, said Prof Jean-Pierre Michel, the head of geriatric medicine at Geneva University Hospitals.
Prof Michel was in Ireland last Friday to deliver a speech on the subject at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Incorporating the National Children's Hospital (AMNCH).
"Frailty is a life-long process - and the first part of the process is completely silent," he said. After that, frailty becomes painfully obvious, and harder to treat.
Prof Michel said it is easy for a clinician to identify a frail elderly person, but a properly-trained doctor should also be able to identify those people who are likely to suffer from frailty.
This "pre-frail" state is identifiable by symptoms including slow gait, rapid fatigue, anorexia, unintentional weight loss and reduced muscle strength, said Prof Michel, who is an adviser on ageing and health to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Simple methods, such as questions about inactivity, grip strength tests, and timing how long it takes someone to walk five metres, can help a doctor identify the pre-frail state.
Prof Michel highlighted the consequences of no intervention: frail people are more likely to fall as they get older, and when they do fall, they are more likely to suffer serious injury.
This can have serious consequences for the quality of life of not just the frail person, but for those who care for them.
They require regular medical intervention and become dependent on those who care for them. Frail people also require more drugs, more hospitalisations and they are more exposed to cross-infections. They are often institutionalised in care facilities or nursing homes, he said.
Frail people are also more likely to die early, said Prof Michel. The remedies are fairly simple: weight gain, and daily light-resistance exercise. "It is vital that they take regularly the activity of daily living," he said.
"To have a good ageing, you need to exercise every day when you are ageing," he said. You do not need to do very strong exercise. It could be walking, for example. But you need to do exercise with light resistance - with a small weight.
"I think it is easier to begin to exercise when you are young," said Prof Michel. "But I think if you are starting at the age of 60, it is also very good."
Prof Michel, who is 61, exercises daily with light hand weights. " I started 20 years ago," said the Geneva-based professor. "Each morning I exercise for half an hour, at home."
Prof Michel did have some good news. He said the incidence of frailty was likely to decrease, as young people now are more likely to take regular exercise than previous generations.
As this generation ages, they are less likely to suffer from frailty or early death - provided that they are not obese, do not smoke, or drink to excess.
"It is important to count not just the quantity of life - the years that you live - but to also measure the quality of life."