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Table 1 Study variables quantitative survey and qualitative interview

From: Detecting frail, older adults and identifying their strengths: results of a mixed-methods study

Domain

Variables/scale

Description

Older people

Informal caregivers

GP

Quantitative survey

 Socio-demographics

Date of birth (age)

 

x

x

x

Gender

 

x

x

x

Nationality

 

x

x

 

Country of birth

 

x

x

 

Marital status

 

x

x

 

Living arrangement

 

x

x

 

Practice

e.g. solo or group practice

  

x

 Frailty

Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument (CFAI) (De Witte et al., 2013)

27 items, 4 domains (physical, psychological, social, environmental)

x

  

IQCODE-N (Jonghe & Schmand, 1996)

Subjective cognitive frailty

x

  

‘Clinical judgment’

1 item, 10-point scale for each domain

 

x

x

 Objective cognitive frailty

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Nasreddine et al., 2005)

12 items, 30-points, multiple domains: memory (learning and delayed recall), visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, attention, concentration, working memory are language, orientation to time and place

x

  

 Competences older people

Quality of life

1 item, 10-point scale

x

x

x

 

2 items, 10-point scale, rating for past (one year ago), and future (one year ahead)

x

  
 

1 item, qualification of the number (poor, average or good)

   

Care and support

1 item, 10-point scale

x

x

x

 

2 items, 10-point scale, rating for past, and future

x

  
 

1 item, qualification of the number (poor, average or good)

   

Meaning in life

1 item, 10-point scale

x

x

x

 

2 items, 10-point scale, rating for past, and future

x

  
 

1 item, qualification of the number (poor, average or good)

   

Mastery

1 item, 10-point scale

x

x

x

 

2 items, 10-point scale, rating for past, and future

x

  
 

1 item, qualification of the number (poor, average or good)

   

Main topics/themes discussed in qualitative interviews

 Frailty

 

e.g. ‘As people age, it is said that they become frail? How do you experience this yourself?’;

‘What does frailty mean to you?’

 Outcomes

Quality of life

e.g. ‘Do you think/believe that frailty affects your quality of life?’;

What are the things that contribute to your quality of life, despite being frail?

Care and support

e.g. ‘What is the role of caregivers to maintain a qualitative life?’

Meaning in life

e.g. ‘What makes your life meaningful?’

Mastery

e.g. ‘Do you feel like you have control over the things that happen in your life?’

 Balancing factors

 

e.g. ‘What should an older person do to maintain his/her quality of life / mastery / meaning in life when becoming frail?

 Life-events and turning points

History

e.g. ‘Can you describe important positive and negative changes that happened in the past year?

Future perspective

e.g. ‘Do you think your life might change within a year? Are there dreams you want to accomplish?’