Would you know if someone was ‘frail’? This simple online test will tell you

The FRAIL test is a new tool that uses five questions to determine frailty risk. A summary can then be printed out to take to your GP.

It was developed by Monash University and not-for-profit aged care provider Benetas. Their study of 3,000 Australians aged 65-plus found six per cent of people were ‘frail’, while 38 per cent fell into the ‘pre-frail’ category. Women were also more likely to be frail than men.

The fact is frailty is an ‘invisible’ condition. Most of us are blind when it comes to our loved ones – they appear well to us, and it’s not until a fall or hospital stay that we realise they may not be coping as well as we thought.

There is good news though. The researchers say frailty can be managed by increasing protein and Vitamin D intake; taking daily walks and doing light resistance exercises at home; and reducing your amount of medication in consultation with your doctor.

You can take the FRAIL test here.