Conclusion The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict  falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting
Background The Timed Up and Go test ( TUG ) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling .
The purpose of this systematic review and meta- analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults .
Falls in elderly people: a multifactorial analysis of risk markers using data from the Swedish general population study ‘Good Ageing in Skåne’
Background and aims The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of falls  in a general older population , especially among the most elderly , and the risk markers associated with falls . Methods This is a cross-sectional study in which 38 fall risk markers were analysed in non- , occasional- and frequent-fallers . The population was 2,865 individuals ( aged 60–93 ) , r and omly selected from the general population register . The risk of falling was calculated as age-adjusted odds ratios . The relation between the number of risk markers  for an individual and falls was also analysed . Results About one in ten reported falling during the past 6 months , 35 % of which were over 90 years old . Twenty-one risk markers were significantly related to falls confirming falling as a multifactorial problem . These included a variety of diseases , symptoms , medical and physical functions , life-style factors and the taking of certain drugs . The five risk markers with the highest odds ratio in frequent fallers were ‘ tendency to fall ’ ( 37.9 ) , ‘ low walking speed ’ ( 12.8 ) , consumption of ‘ neuroleptics ’ ( 10.9 ) , ‘ impaired mobility ’ ( 10.0 ) and ‘ dementia ’ ( 5.4 ) . Subjects with more than four and seven risk markers showed a 9- respectively 28-fold increase in the risk of falling , especially among frequent fallers and those aged over 90 years . Conclusion Falls are common in the elderly population and the risk is multifactorial . The results imply that there is an overrepresentation of fallers in a distinct subgroup of the very elderly and those with multiple risk markers . The self-perceived clinical sign ‘ tendency to fall ’ seems highly sensitive as indicator of individuals at risk . Several risk markers may be treatable . Fall risk seems to increase in a non-linear , almost exponential way with increasing number of risk markers
Conclusion The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict  falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting
Background The Timed Up and Go test ( TUG ) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling .
The purpose of this systematic review and meta- analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults .