Here - American Geriatrics Society

P OSTER
A BSTRACTS
C94
Exploring the Relationship between Computerized Measures of
Gait and Lower Extremity Function, Balance and Fear of Falling.
E. McGough, H. J. Thompson, T. Le, S. Chaudhuri, G. Demiris.
University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Background: Up to 40% of elders experience a fall at least annually,
and of those who fall, up to 10% have a significant injury. Even
when no injury occurs, older adults may develop fear of falling, resulting
in self-imposed activity restriction, increasing the risk of falling.
The present study explored the extent to which features of gait measured
by computerized gait analysis system were correlated to measures
of lower extremity function, balance, and self-reported fear of
falling. The goal was to determine if the system was feasible to implement
and would be a useful addition to the clinical armamentarium.
Methods: Community dwelling elders were observed during the
completion of the Short Performance Battery (SPPB), and the Berg
Balance Scale (BBS). Participants were asked to walk at 1) usual pace
and 2) as quickly as possible on the GAITRite walkway. Measures
obtained included gait velocity, cadence, double support time, swing
time variability, and stride length variability. Subjects completed the
Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Correlations between measures were analyzed.
Results: Mean age of subjects was 88.4 years, 37.5% were male
(N=16). Average SPPB score was 8.06 (SD 2.95) and average BBS
score was 43.75 (SD 11.7). The average FES score reported was 9 (SD
0.97) indicating low concern about falls in this sample despite an average
score on the BBS indicating balance impairment (