Background: Age-related weakness, or sarcopenia, has been related to functional disability, falls, frailty and mortality. Although it is one of the most common symptoms older adults link to their functional abilities, to date, no studies have explored older adults' perceptions of weakness and its association with ageing.
Aims And Objectives: To understand the meaning of weakness for older adults' and their perceptions of its association with ageing.
The purpose of this secondary study was to describe the mobility adaptations of community-living older adults. The primary study, designed to understand weakness and aging from the perspective of older adults, revealed that older adults viewed weakness as a progression from inability to an end point of 'giving up,' which prompted the use of adaptation strategies to preserve mobility and to counter a self-identity of being weak. A qualitative descriptive design guided the primary study of 15 community-living older adults, who participated in in-depth interviews.
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