CLINICAL FRAILTY SCALE
CLINICAL FRAILTY SCALE
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VERY People who are robust, active, energetic
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LIVING VERY People who are robust, active, and motivated. They tend to exercise FITenergetic and motivated. They tend to exercise WITHfor FIT regularly and are among the fittest regularly and are among the fittesttheir for age. MODERATE their age. FRAILTY
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People who need help with all outside activities and with keeping house. Inside, they often have problems with stairs and need help with bathing and might need minimal assistance (cuing, standby) with dressing.
FIT People who have no active disease FIT People who have no active disease symptoms but are less fit than category symptoms but are less fit than category LIVING 1. Often, they exercise or are very activeCompletely dependent for personal 1. Often, they exercise or are very active care, from whatever cause (physical or WITH occasionally, e.g., seasonally. occasionally, e.g., seasonally. cognitive). Even so, they seem stable SEVERE and not at high risk of dying (within ~6 FRAILTY problems are People whose medical problems are months). MANAGING People whose medical MANAGING WELL well controlled, even if occasionally WELL well controlled, even if occasionally symptomatic, but often are not symptomatic, but often are notLIVING Completely dependent for personal care regularly active beyond routine walking. WITH VERY regularly active beyond routine walking.and approaching end of life. Typically, SEVERE they could not recover even from a LIVING Previously “vulnerable,” this category FRAILTY minor illness. Previously “vulnerable,” this category LIVING complete WITH marks early transition from marks complete dependent on early transition from VERY MILD independence. While notWITH Approaching the end of life. This TERMINALLY independence. While not dependent oncategory applies to people with a life VERY MILD FRAILTY others for daily help, often symptoms ILL
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LIVING WITH MILD FRAILTY
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others for daily help, often symptoms expectancy <6 months, who are not FRAILTY limit activities. A common complaint is being “slowed up” and/or beinglimit tired activities. A common complaint otherwise living with severe frailty. during the day. is being “slowed up” and/or being tired(Many terminally ill people can still exercise until very close to death.) during the day.
People who often have more evident slowing, and need help with high People whoSCORING FRAILTY IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA often have more evident LIVING order instrumental activities of daily with high Theneed degreehelp of frailty generally In moderate dementia, recent memory is WITH slowing, and living (finances, transportation, heavy correspondsactivities to the degreeof of daily very impaired, even though they seemingly order instrumental MILD housework). Typically, mild frailty dementia. Common symptoms in can remember their past life events well. transportation, heavy They can do personal care with prompting. FRAILTY mild dementia include forgetting progressively impairs shopping andliving (finances, details of a mild recentfrailty event, though housework).theTypically, In severe dementia, they cannot do walking outside alone, meal preparation, still remembering the event itself, personal care without help. impairs shopping and medications and begins to restrictprogressively light repeating the same question/story walking outside alone, meal preparation, In very severe dementia they are often housework. and social withdrawal.
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medications and begins to restrict light housework.
The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was introduced in the second clinical examination of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) as a way to summarize the overall level of fitness or frailty of an older adult after they had been evaluated by an experienced clinician (Rockwood et al., 2005). The Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care would like to thank Dr. Ken Rockwood for the permission to use.
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Clinical Frailty Scale ©2005–2020 Rockwood, Version 2.0 (EN). All rights reserved. For permission: www.geriatricmedicineresearch.ca Rockwood K et al. A global clinical measure of fitness and frailty in elderly people. CMAJ 2005;173:489–495.
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