Ageing, health and socioeconomic conditions: a multidimensional approach on frailty from an Italian case study

The progressive ageing population all over Europe represents a demographical matter in terms of social burden and welfare expenses. By 2020 the first cohort of baby boomers will have reached or passed 65 years, bringing with them a history of mental disorder and substance abuse distinct from the histories of earlier cohorts. With this population bulge, the sheer number of older adults will expand and the positive aspect of a diffused longer life expectancy will encounter a negative consequence for an increasing part of elderly population suffering disability, physical frailty and progressive cognitive decline, worsened by the risk of social exclusion and marginalization. The contribution focuses on the results of a research, conducted both in sociological and medical approach, combining a quantitative survey with clinical observation, on a sample of elderly people in Genoa, Italy. With the objective to realize and validate proper methodological tools to evaluate frailty in ageing in a multidimensional approach, the study represents the first validation in Italy of the Morley scale (2012) to evaluate physical frailty and combines its application with different tools exploring the relationship of health with socioeconomic conditions, life styles, social and relational capital, services availability and emotional well-being of elderly people.