How to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults
How to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults
To perform this screening test for balance problems, time the patient as he or she rises from a chair, walks 3 meters around a cone, returns, and sits down. (Keep an assistive device within reach.) Have the patient repeat this action as you keep time. Then average the times from the two attempts. Score the test based on the average time, as shown below:
"Timed Up and Go" (Tug) Test
To perform this screening test for balance problems, time the patient as he or she rises from a chair, walks 3 meters around a cone, returns, and sits down. (Keep an assistive device within reach.) Have the patient repeat this action as you keep time. Then average the times from the two attempts. Score the test based on the average time, as shown below:
freely mobile: less than 10 seconds
mostly independent: 10 to 19 seconds
variable mobility: 20 to 29 seconds
impaired mobility: more than 29 seconds.
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