The Importance of Physical Activity in Frail Elderly Individuals

In recent years, the number of elderly individuals has been increasing worldwide. With this increase, there is also an increase in many factors that negatively affect the quality of life of elderly individuals and prevent them from performing daily living activities. The increase in these factors causes new problems to arise in the lives of elderly individuals. In line with aging, various problems are observed biologically, phenotypically, and functionally. These problems cause serious problems in the lives of elderly individuals. In addition to the natural aging process, frailty and pre-frailty phenotype often accompany these individuals due to a decrease in functional capacity and muscle strength, disrupting the healthy aging process. Especially with the inclusion of a frailty diagnosis, elderly individuals struggle to maintain their daily activities, and their quality of life is negatively affected. Additionally, physical activity and exercise have a very important place in fragile societies in order to eliminate these negativities. However, just because elderly individuals experience the same problems does not necessarily mean that the same exercise programs will be applied. The symptoms of problems experienced by elderly individuals should be examined separately. On the other hand, in addition to the problem experienced, other disorders such as frailty may be observed in elderly individuals. Therefore, it is important to comprehensively evaluate elderly individuals for frailty and develop individualized rehabilitation programs. The aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of physical activity and promote healthy aging in elderly frail individuals. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of physical activity in minimizing the effects of frailty and potentially reversing frailty-related outcomes in elderly individuals.