My research has focused on the effects of hospitalization and acute medical illness on increasing falls risk for older adults.
Many older adults lose functional independence when they are hospitalized.
We have evaluated this from a number of aspects. We have provided strong evidence that older adults are at high risk for loss of walking independence when they become hospitalized. In analysis of multicenter data, we found that one in eight hospitalized older adults lost the ability to walk independently. One-fourth of these did not regain walking ability three months later. This research will help clinicians target at-risk older adults for more intensive rehabilitation to prevent loss of walking ability.