Social frailty as social aspects of frailty: Research, practical activities, and prospects.

With the topical focus on the prevention of and countermeasures for frailty, scattered studies have subdivided its social elements and aspects as "social frailty." While the concepts and definition of "social frailty" are yet to be established, the purpose of using the term is to capture the attention of professionals using the social aspects of frailty to support older adults. The goal is to increase healthy life expectancy by recognizing that social factors are unlikely to pose a risk of functional decline in isolation, but may increase such a decline when combined with other factors. At feasible scopes of intervention, ways to address these factors should be pursued. Although social aspects are often expressed by frail people, or social factors with complex processes that can cause functional decline, there is no unified definition or indicator of social frailty. Further research and discussion are needed to clarify its academic significance and usefulness for disability prevention. Recognizing this, when the Japanese Socio-Gerontological Society's Study Committee on "Social Frailty" published its recommendations, it suggested that when using the term "social frailty" we should specify the significance of its use; consider the comprehensiveness of frailty; be mindful of the interrelationship of social activities and other social aspects; and consider environmental conditions such as a person's values, preferences and life course, social norms, systems, and government policies. High-risk individuals may need multidisciplinary approaches delivered by various professionals, including clinicians, in realizing a life in line with their unique values and preferences. In such cases, it is necessary to understand the background and process that led to frailty, from physical, psychological, and social perspectives, referring to the abovementioned four points. The introduction of social aspects as one of the assessment frameworks can significantly bridge the gap between medical care and the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 991-996.

Relationship between healthy elderly individual social capital and health according to ward level in Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture: an ecological study.

Objectives: The aims of this study were 1) to elucidate the relationship between social capital and health by ward in Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture, in order to clarify the regional social resources available to support long-term care prevention utilizing self- and mutual support of regional residents and 2) to comprehensively investigate the activation of regional networks. Materials and Methods: We analyzed elderly (aged 65 years or older) individual survey data from 7,199 residents from all wards within Tomi City in 2014 (number of valid responses: 5,546; valid response rate: 77.0%). The social capital indicators used for the analysis included participation in community activities, regional managerial position experience, and general trust. The health indicators included self-rated mental health, activities of daily living, and depression. Standards for a "good" result for each indicator were established, and the percentages of each were tallied up by ward. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and principal component analysis were used to investigate correlations between social capital and health. Results: The results for overall respondents indicated correlations between participation in sports and hobbies and activities of daily living (p<0.01) and self-rated mental health (p<0.05). Participation in nonprofit organizations/volunteer activities and participation in community center workshops exhibited correlations with activities of daily living (both p<0.05). In respondents aged 65-74 years, participation in community center workshops and general trust were found to be correlated with activities of daily living (both p<0.05). Meanwhile, in respondents aged 75 years or older, correlations were noted between participation in sports and hobbies and participation in nonprofit organizations/volunteer activities and activities of daily living (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). By creating a distribution map using principal component analysis, we were able to grasp the characteristics of the distribution of "community participation/connections with people" and "health" in each ward. Conclusions: Our results point the way forward for future long-term care prevention support in Tomi City by clarifying the correlation between social capital and health by ward.