You or a loved one may be considered frail if three or more of these criteria, developed by Johns Hopkins, apply to you:

1. You’re shrinking. You’ve unintentionally lost 10 or more pounds in the past year.
2. You feel weak. You have trouble standing without assistance or have reduced grip strength.
3. You feel exhausted. Everything you do takes a big effort, or you just can’t get going three or more days most weeks.
4. Your activity level is low. This includes formal exercise plus household chores and activities you do for fun.
5. You walk slowly. Your pace is considered slow if the time it takes you more than six or seven seconds to walk 15 feet.(from Internet)

Frailty is what I used to call "a total body failure" which is in a way a sentence to a slow death

physicians cannot do much other than minimizing the suffering.

Staying active physically and mentally no matter what

is the only way to prevent it as long as possible.

My next door neighbor, Tom, age 80, has been doing just that.

He has had cabg, stroke, pacemaker, copd, many falls, etc.,

yet he goes to out patient physical therapy for balancing 3 times a week, 

walks outside and on treadmill and always is up and about, and

goes out for dinner with his wife a lot more often than I do.

Nothing seems to scare him even after a bad fall in the bathroom

with bloody elbow, bruises, whatever. What an attitude !