Table 2.
Measures.
| Function | Test | Description | Scoring | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing balance | Tandem Stance | Participant stands heel to toe, or in half tandem heel to forefoot. Inability to stand for 10 s in half or full tandem predicts nursing home admission, and mortality (Guralnik et al., 1994). | Two timed trials in full tandem stance of at least 5 s up to 30 s; if under 5 s, timed in half tandem up to 30 s. The best time in the most challenging position was used for analysis. | Test reliability 0.76 (Guralnik et al., 1994) |
| Base of Support (BSW) | Participant marches in place, stopping in comfortable stance; narrower stance predicts fall propensity in older adults (Swanenburg, Nevzati, Mittz, de Bruin, & Klipstein, 2013). | Mean distance between heels across two trials | Test reliability 0.77-0.95 (Swanenburg et al., 2013) | |
| Reaching balance | Functional Reach | Participant reaches forward while maintaining stability; forward reach <7 in indicates limited ADLs, mobility (Weiner, Duncan, Chandler, & Studenski, 1992). | Participant’s forward arm extension measured in upright stance and forward reach; used mean difference between the upright and extended reach on two trials. | Test reliability 0.88 (Weiner et al., 1992) |
| Mobility | Timed Up and Go (TUG) | Seated participant rises to walk 3 yards and return to chair; risk of falls for community dwelling adults >13.5 s (Shumway-Cook, Brauer, & Woollacott, 2000). | Practice trial; used timed second trial | Test reliability 0.97-0.99 (Steffens, Hacker, & Mollinger, 2002) |
| Activity difficulty and priorities | OPTIMAL instrument | Self-report on experienced difficulty in a range of everyday actions, including self-identified priorities; scores correlate with physical therapist diagnoses (Guccione et al., 2005). For this study, 13 mobility items were selected for relevance from original 21. | Total score across 13 items rated for difficulty, with higher scores indicating greater difficulty. Participant’s identified priorities categorized as worse, unchanged, or better at posttest. | Test reliability 0.85-0.94 (Guccione et al., 2005) |