©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Geriatric Symptoms & Frailty Exam
Questions With Correct Answers
What is key to understanding age-related disease? - answer✔Recognizing and understanding
frailty (also recognizing signs of pre-frailty)
Frailty can adversely influence... - answer✔Outcomes
-- Can take an unexpectedly long time to recover from an acute illness
-- Reduced physiologic reserve to overcome illness
*Impact of COVID-19 on the older adult population (esp. when in an institutionalized setting) -
reduced immunity to begin w/ (as an older adult)
Adaptive homeostasis - answer✔Extent that the body can adapt to the physiologic stresses and
maintain homeostasis; will influence susceptibility to illness/injury
What contributes to the loss of "energetics," homeostasis, and physiologic reserve? -
answer✔Multi-system dysregulation
Organ systems have built-in ________________ structures and function - answer✔Redundant
(e.g., O2, digestive, and metabolic systems interact and work together to deliver "fuel" to the
correct structures at the correct time)
Built-in redundancy - Decline/dysfunction in one system can lead to an increased contribution
of... - answer✔Another system
% of margin of loss for most systems before evidence of failure presents - answer✔70
Redundancy allows most organ systems to function adequately UNTIL... - answer✔A 30%
MINIMUM functional threshold is crossed
The "tipping point" - answer✔Loss of reserve capacity is an important dimension of frailty
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Physiological systems are easily tipped over the threshold of clinical failure when... -
answer✔An acute problem occurs (e.g., chronic renal insufficiency --> a bout of diarrhea
causes dehydration and acute renal failure)
Factors associated w/ frailty and cognitive impairment: - answer✔-- Lifestyle and mental health
factors
-- Cardiovascular risk factors
-- Nutritional deficiencies
-- Hormonal imbalance
-- Social factors
-- Inflammation
-- Poor health and medication use
(Overlap present)
Prevalence of frailty - answer✔(Looking at >7000 community-dwelling Medicare enrollees
over the age of 65)
--15.3% = frail (w/ 3 out of the 5 attributes based on the physical frailty phenotype)
--45.5% = pre-frail (having 1-2 out of the 5 attributes)
Prevalence of frailty in nursing homes = - answer✔~76 (w/ remainder of individuals considered
to be pre-frail)
Key risk factors for frailty: - answer✔-- Increased age
-- Female
Geriatric Symptoms & Frailty Exam
Questions With Correct Answers
What is key to understanding age-related disease? - answer✔Recognizing and understanding
frailty (also recognizing signs of pre-frailty)
Frailty can adversely influence... - answer✔Outcomes
-- Can take an unexpectedly long time to recover from an acute illness
-- Reduced physiologic reserve to overcome illness
*Impact of COVID-19 on the older adult population (esp. when in an institutionalized setting) -
reduced immunity to begin w/ (as an older adult)
Adaptive homeostasis - answer✔Extent that the body can adapt to the physiologic stresses and
maintain homeostasis; will influence susceptibility to illness/injury
What contributes to the loss of "energetics," homeostasis, and physiologic reserve? -
answer✔Multi-system dysregulation
Organ systems have built-in ________________ structures and function - answer✔Redundant
(e.g., O2, digestive, and metabolic systems interact and work together to deliver "fuel" to the
correct structures at the correct time)
Built-in redundancy - Decline/dysfunction in one system can lead to an increased contribution
of... - answer✔Another system
% of margin of loss for most systems before evidence of failure presents - answer✔70
Redundancy allows most organ systems to function adequately UNTIL... - answer✔A 30%
MINIMUM functional threshold is crossed
The "tipping point" - answer✔Loss of reserve capacity is an important dimension of frailty
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Physiological systems are easily tipped over the threshold of clinical failure when... -
answer✔An acute problem occurs (e.g., chronic renal insufficiency --> a bout of diarrhea
causes dehydration and acute renal failure)
Factors associated w/ frailty and cognitive impairment: - answer✔-- Lifestyle and mental health
factors
-- Cardiovascular risk factors
-- Nutritional deficiencies
-- Hormonal imbalance
-- Social factors
-- Inflammation
-- Poor health and medication use
(Overlap present)
Prevalence of frailty - answer✔(Looking at >7000 community-dwelling Medicare enrollees
over the age of 65)
--15.3% = frail (w/ 3 out of the 5 attributes based on the physical frailty phenotype)
--45.5% = pre-frail (having 1-2 out of the 5 attributes)
Prevalence of frailty in nursing homes = - answer✔~76 (w/ remainder of individuals considered
to be pre-frail)
Key risk factors for frailty: - answer✔-- Increased age
-- Female
