Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Functional Reach Test, Single-Leg Stance Test, And Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment For The Prediction Of Falls In Older Adults: A Systematic Review, Humberto Omaña, Kari Bezaire, Kyla Brady, Jayme Davies, Nancy Louwagie, Sean Power, Sydney Santin, Susan W. Hunter

Physical Therapy Publications

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to systematically review the existing literature on the falls-related diagnostic test properties of the Functional Reach Test (FRT), single-leg stance test (SLST), and Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) in older adults across settings and patient populations.

METHODS: The PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases were searched (inception-July 2020). Inclusion criteria were participants aged 60 years or more, prospectively recorded falls, and the reporting of falls-related predictive validity. Manuscripts not published in English were excluded. Methodological quality of reporting was assessed using the Tooth Scale.

RESULTS: Of 1071 studies reviewed, 21 met the inclusion criteria (12 POMA, 8 …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Falls In Adults 1 Year After Total Hip Arthroplasty For Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study, Susan W. Hunter, Pavlos Bobos, Lyndsay Somerville, James Howard, Edward M Vasarhelyi, Brent Lanting

Physical Therapy Publications

Total hip arthroplasty is very successful in alleviating the pain from osteoarthritis. However, deficits in lower limb strength, gait, and balance after surgery has identified this group at risk of falls. Considering the high number of people annually receiving a total hip arthroplasty, further elaboration of factors associated with falls is needed to refine fall prevention guidelines. The objective was to examine the prevalence and circumstances of falling and the risk factors associated with falling in older adults in the first year after total hip arthroplasty surgery. This was a cross-sectional study involving 108 individuals (age of 72.4 ± 6.5 …

Effect Of Dual-Tasking On Walking And Cognitive Demands In Adults With Alzheimer's Dementia Experienced In Using A 4-Wheeled Walker, Susan W. Hunter, Humberto Omana, Edward Madou, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Alison Divine, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Learning to walk with a 4-wheeled walker increases cognitive demands in people with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). However, it is expected that experience will offset the increased cognitive demand. Current research has not yet evaluated gait in people with AD experienced in using a 4-wheeled walker under complex gait situations.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the effect of dual-task testing on the spatial-temporal gait parameters and cognitive performance of people with AD experienced with a 4-wheeled walker?

METHODS: Twenty-three adults with mild to moderate AD (87.4 ± 6.2 years, 48 % female) and at least 6 months of walker use experience …

Effectiveness Of High-Intensity Interval Training For Fitness And Mobility Post Stroke: A Systematic Review., Joshua C. Wiener, Amanda Mcintyre, Scott Janssen, Jeffrey Ty Chow, Cristina Batey, Robert Teasell

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in improving fitness and mobility post stroke. TYPE: Systematic review.

LITERATURE SURVEY: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for articles published in English up to January 2018.

METHODOLOGY: Studies were included if the sample was adult human participants with stroke, the sample size was ≥3, and participants received >1 session of HIIT. Study and participant characteristics, treatment protocols, and results were extracted.

SYNTHESIS: Six studies with a total of 140 participants met inclusion criteria: three randomized controlled trials and three pre-post studies. HIIT protocols ranged …

Effect Of Learning To Use A Mobility Aid On Gait And Cognitive Demands In People With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part I - Cane, Susan W. Hunter, Alison Divine, Humberto Omana, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit balance and walking impairments that increase falls risk. Prescription of a mobility aid is done to improve stability, yet also requires increased cognitive resources. Single-point canes require unique motor sequencing for safe use. The effect of learning to use a single-point cane has not been evaluated in people with AD.

OBJECTIVES: In people with AD and healthy adult controls: 1) examine changes in gait while using a cane under various walking conditions; and 2) determine the cognitive and gait costs associated with concurrent cane walking while multi-tasking.

METHODS: Seventeen participants with AD (age …

Reliability, Validity, And Agreement Of The Short-Form Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale In People With Lower Extremity Amputations., Katherine Fuller, Humberto Adolfo Omaña Moreno, Courtney Frengopoulos, Michael W Payne, Ricardo Viana, Susan W. Hunter

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Clinicians use the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale to understand balance confidence. A short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, was developed using the six most difficult tasks from the original Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale; however, short-form the short-form scale psychometrics and agreement with the original scale have yet to be explored in people with lower extremity amputations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative and absolute reliability, construct validity, and agreement of the short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale.

STUDY DESIGN: Test-retest with a 2-week interval.

METHODS: Analysis for relative reliability and internal consistency was intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach's

RESULTS: The short-form Activities-specific …

Effect Of Learning To Use A Mobility Aid On Gait And Cognitive Demands In People With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part Ii - 4-Wheeled Walker., Susan W. Hunter, Alison Divine, Humberto Omana, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits and gait problems are common and progressive in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prescription of a 4-wheeled walker is a common intervention to improve stability and independence, yet can be associated with an increased falls risk.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To examine changes in spatial-temporal gait parameters while using a 4-wheeled walker under different walking conditions, and 2) to determine the cognitive and gait task costs of walking with the aid in adults with AD and healthy older adults.

METHODS: Twenty participants with AD (age 79.1±7.1 years) and 22 controls (age 68.5±10.7 years) walked using a 4-wheeled walker in a straight …

A Framework For Secondary Cognitive And Motor Tasks In Dual-Task Gait Testing In People With Mild Cognitive Impairment., Susan W Hunter, Alison Divine, Courtney Frengopoulos, Manuel Montero Odasso

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Cognition is a key factor in the regulation of normal walking and dual-task gait assessment is an accepted method to evaluate the relationship. The objective of this study was to create a framework for task complexity of concurrent motor and cognitive tasks with gait in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS: Community-dwelling people with MCI (n = 41, mean age = 76.20 ± 7.65 years) and cognitively normal controls (n = 41, mean age = 72.10 ± 3.80 years) participated in this study. Gait velocity was collected using an instrumented walkway under one single task and six combined …

The Attentional Demands Of Ambulating With An Assistive Device In Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease, Susan W. Hunter, M Montero-Odasso

Physical Therapy Publications

Ambulation with a mobility aid is a unique real-life situation of multi-tasking. These simultaneous motor tasks place increased demands on executive function in healthy young and older adults, but the demands have not been evaluated in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mobility problems are common among adults with AD, leading to provision of a mobility aid to optimize independent activity. The study objectives were: (i) to determine the dual-task cost (DTC) associated with the use of a mobility aid in straight and complex path walking, and (ii) to evaluate the association between executive function and ambulation with a mobility aid …

Community Physiotherapy And Chronic Disease Self-Management For Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Laura J. Graham

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research problem: The majority of older Canadians live with at least one chronic disease. Exercise has been shown to be an effective means to reducing symptoms, and to improving physical dysfunction in chronically ill populations; and self-management is a nationally advocated approach to dealing with the growing health care issue of chronic disease. Physiotherapists are experts in prescribing therapeutic exercise and promoting chronic disease self-management.

Methods: This two-study dissertation explored older adults’ perceptions of exercise as a self-care activity within a chronic disease self-management strategy using focused ethnography; and physiotherapists’ experiences in promoting exercise as a means to chronic disease …

"Any Movement At All Is Exercise": A Focused Ethnography Of Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults' Perceptions And Experiences Of Exercise As Self-Care, Laura J. Graham, Denise M Connelly

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: To understand rural community-dwelling older adult participants' shared values, beliefs, and behaviours related to exercise as self-care.

METHODS: We conducted a constructivist-focused ethnography involving semi-structured interviews and participant observation with 17 individuals 65 years and older. Interviews were transcribed and inductively coded to develop themes related to exercise, self-care, and exercise as self-care. Field notes were triangulated with follow-up interviews and dialogue between authors to enhance interpretation.

RESULTS: Participants described exercise broadly as movement and not as a central self-care behaviour. However, awareness of the importance and health-related benefits of exercise increased after a significant personal health-related event. Participants …