Assessment of Gait, Balance, and Mobility in Older Adults: Considerations for Clinicians

Accurate assessment of gait, balance, and mobility in older adults is an important aspect of clinical practice for clinicians working with this population. This report presents evidence regarding assessment in each of these domains. Outcome measures were selected for inclusion if recent evidence (publication within previous 18 months) regarding their properties was available in the literature. Selected measures are as follows: Gait: gait speed, gait symmetry, gait endurance, adaptability of gait, dual task performance during gait, and self-reported confidence during gait; Balance: Berg Balance Scale, Mini-BESTest, Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment, Dynamic Gait Index, and Falls Efficacy Scale-International; Mobility: Timed Up and Go test, 5 times sit-to-stand test, backwards walking, and Short Physical Performance Battery. Psychometric properties and minimal detectable change values (when available) for the listed measures are presented in order to provide clinicians with a consolidated reference for selecting outcome measures to assess gait, balance, and mobility in older adults.