ABOUT AFN
Overview
The Australian Frailty Network was established to create knowledge, implement findings, and support training to improve outcomes for older Australians and their families and caregivers.
Frailty can be attributed to a variety of factors, including age, chronic diseases, and social isolation. Over 20% of Australians will become frail as they age and many will experience declines in physical function, cognition, and nutritional status, putting them at risk of losing independence and needing assistance with activities of daily living.
The Australian Frailty Network (AFN) has been established to deliver a national response to frailty. It will serve as a platform that brings together consumers, health care professionals, multidisciplinary researchers, policymakers, and peak bodies to address this issue through a multi-pronged approach that focuses on preventing frailty and slowing its progression.
What does the AFN do?
The AFN’s primary focus is to transform how Australians age through knowledge creation, evidence sharing, and training support for health professionals and early-to-mid-career researchers, to augment system-wide understanding and treatment of frailty. By establishing a consumer-driven frailty research agenda, the AFN will provide evidence-based solutions designed to support the Australian health system in enabling older people to remain active and independent for longer.
A core principle of the AFN is ensuring that all frailty-related initiatives are informed by the needs of older individuals, their families, and caregivers. The AFN will lead knowledge translation and implementation activities, build capacity and capability for future research leaders, and engage with peak bodies, communities, international partners, and policymakers to advocate for sustained investment in healthy ageing initiatives to enhance older adults’ independence and participation in society.
Our current partners
Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM)
Council on the Ageing (COTA) QLD and WA
Queensland Dementia, Ageing and Frailty (QDAF) Clinical Network
Future partnerships will position the AFN as a self-sustaining, financially viable, enabling network for frailty researchers, healthcare professionals and consumers across Australia.
