Objective: to identify scientific evidence regarding the care of frail older adults in the community, from the perspective of the older adults themselves. Method: a descriptive, integrative review study was performed. The inclusion criteria were complete available articles; published between and ; written in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French; which had older adults as participants. The perception of the older adults has specific characteristics, has maintaining their independence as a focus of care, signals the need to maintain interpersonal relationships, improve communication, and for actions of health education and people-centered services.
Conclusion: these points demand the attention of care providers and policy services to improve care delivery and provide actions that are welcomed by this public. The worldwide demographic phenomenon of population aging is a complex and heterogeneous process that, at an individual level, involves the interaction of multiple aspects 1 , including the possibility of aging with or without frailty 2 - 4.
Frailty is a polysemic, multidetermined and multidimensional concept 3 - 5 related to increased susceptibility to unfavorable health outcomes: illness, functional decline, falls, hospitalization and mortality 5.
In old age, biomedical knowledge assumes frailty to be a vulnerability to biopsychosocial and environmental stressors 2 , 3 , 5 , correlated with a decrease in functional reserve, limitations in activities of daily living, an increased need for care 6 , as well as lower satisfaction with health and quality of life 4.
Frail older adults make up the majority of those in need of formal, informal and health service care 2. Therefore, this syndrome is a public health concern, as it requires integrated care 2 , and can be prevented and recoverable through appropriate interventions 5. Care is a human condition that depends on the point of view of the individual receiving it 8 , 9 Furthermore, care models centered on acute treatment are inadequate for the frail older population, as they usually disregard the specific configurations of this phenomenon in the community, its support systems and the individual involved 3.
