The analysis of our outcomes illustrates the similarities and differences between the identified tests
Assessment s of gait , balance , and transfer in elderly people play a valuable role in maintaining healthy aging and preventing a decline in mobility .
Several evaluation tools have been proposed ; however , clinicians should select the most accurate ones wisely , based on numerous criteria .
This systematic review aims to identify all applicable elderly mobility assessment tests and show their measurement properties with as much detail as possible .
Modifying a functional obstacle course to test balance and mobility in the community.
A previously reported functional obstacle course ( FOC ) developed to assess elderly persons with and without balance and mobility impairment was used in a hospital-based study of 237 participants . A new modified version of the FOC was developed for use in a community-based study , by placing some obstacles next to walls instead of between parallel bars . These modifications eliminate the need for parallel bars or for extra personnel to interchange the obstacles . We were concerned that the modifications could affect performance scores , because touching or holding onto the now eliminated parallel bars could influence FOC scores under the original scoring system . To determine the effect of these modifications on FOC performance , we tested 36 volunteers , ( 18 fallers [ falls within last year ] and 18 non-fallers ) , on the  modified parts of the old and new versions of the FOC .  R and om testing order and inter-trial rests were used . For both the old and new FOC versions , we summed quality and task completion time scores from the six modified obstacles ( artificial turf , carpet , pine bark , s and , up ramp and down ramp ) to create scores for quality and time . Our hypothesis was that there would be no performance difference between the original and modified obstacle course . Using a two-factor repeated- measures analysis of variance , we found no difference in quality scores between the two FOC versions and no effect of an interaction between faller status and the course versions . We did find that the time was approximately 2 seconds longer for the new version ; however , the time increase was the same for fallers and non-fallers . These data show that fallers and non-fallers have comparable performance on both versions of the FOC ; however , to compare the two obstacle courses we recommend an adjustment of 2 seconds in time scores . The obstacle course modifications will facilitate more extensive and efficient use of the obstacle course as a research tool to assess balance and mobility
The analysis of our outcomes illustrates the similarities and differences between the identified tests
Assessment s of gait , balance , and transfer in elderly people play a valuable role in maintaining healthy aging and preventing a decline in mobility .
Several evaluation tools have been proposed ; however , clinicians should select the most accurate ones wisely , based on numerous criteria .
This systematic review aims to identify all applicable elderly mobility assessment tests and show their measurement properties with as much detail as possible .