This resource aims to assist practitioners in a range of settings, including primary and secondary health care, social care, and the community and voluntary sector, to provide information about relevant community resources to individuals living with frailty and their families and carers.
The toolkit indicates which community activities and additional support may be helpful for an individual based on where they sit on the Rockwood clinical frailty scale. Further information on the Rockwood scale can be found on this clinical frailty scale (CFS) training module website overview video.
Connecting individuals to wider community support is worth exploring whenever possible alongside other help as there is widespread recognition that communities have a vital role in supporting health & wellbeing.
How to use the toolkit
The Rockwood Score and the description for someone expected to be at that classification level are listed below. Clicking on the links will provide you with the following information:
- a description of how the individual would most likely access the support in their community
- a list of the types of wider community activity or support that might be relevant. Using this list can inform conversations with individuals to identify options which they might wish to explore further
- a list of the types of community groups or organisations that are likely to provide the types of support suggested in the preceding section. This list can form the basis of a conversation with an individual to identify groups or organisations in their locality worth contacting to discuss accessing services or activities on offer
- information and contact details for potential support. This section provides links to significant local organisations and agencies providing services and activities. This is not a comprehensive list and there are likely to be other local organisations which can also help
Information by Rockwood Score
- Rockwood Score 1 - People are robust, active, energetic and motivated. They exercise regularly. Among fittest for age.
- Rockwood Score 2 - Well. People who have no active disease symptoms but are less fit than level 1. They exercise or are active occasionally.
- Rockwood Score 3 - Managing well. People whose medical problems are well controlled but are not regularly active beyond routine walking.
- Rockwood Score 4 - While not dependent on others for help, often symptoms limit activities. Complain of being ‘slowed up,’ or being tired during the day.
- Rockwood Score 5 - Mildly frail. People have more evident slowing and need help in higher order Independent Activities of Daily Living (such as finances, transport, medications).
- Rockwood Score 6 - People need help with all outside activities and housekeeping. Inside they need bathing and may need minimal assistance (prompting) with dressing.
- Rockwood Score 7 - Completely dependent for personal care, from whatever cause (physical or cognitive). However not considered high risk of dying within 6 months.
- Rockwood Score 8 - Very severely frail. Completely dependent, approaching end of life. Typically would not recover from minor illness.
- Rockwood Score 9 - Terminally ill approaching end of life. Category applies to people with a life expectancy of less than 6 months who are not otherwise evidently frail.
Please contact us to comment on the toolkit or to request further information. The content of the toolkit will be reviewed in April 2023.