Prevention of impaired mobility in the elderly in primary care: a brief report

The loss autonomy in the aging population is a major public health issue. Mobility impairment, which precedes loss of autonomy, could yet be accessible to multi-modal and personalised programs to enhance balance and physical performances, and avoid loss of autonomy. Moreover, such preventive programs are likely to be more effective when the patients are taken in charge before presenting with difficulties in daily living. The aging demographics and the consequences of the loss of autonomy clearly indicate a need for better addressing these patients with lowering mobility, even though they will mostly have subtle symptoms and no spontaneous complaints. This could be achieved by improving the screening of mobility impairment and the development of specific personalised preventive programs in primary care. In this brief narrative review, we aimed to summarise the current body of knowledge on mobility impairment prevention in the elderly, and open the field for future research in primary care.