TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - One walk a year to 1000 within a year: Continuous in-home unobtrusive gait assessment of older adults
JO  - Gait and posture
A1  - Kaye, Jeffrey
A1  - Mattek, Nora
A1  - Dodge, Hiroko H.
A1  - Buracchio, Teresa
A1  - Austin, Daniel
A1  - Hagler, Stuart
A1  - Pavel, Michael
A1  - Hayes, Tamara
SP  - 197
EP  - 202
VL  - 35
IS  - 2
N2  - Physical performance measures predict health and function in older populations. Walking speed in particular has consistently predicted morbidity and mortality. However, single brief walking measures may not reflect a person's typical ability. Using a system that unobtrusively and continuously measures walking activity in a person's home we examined walking speed metrics and their relation to function. In 76 persons living independently (mean age, 86) we measured every instance of walking past a line of passive infra-red motion sensors placed strategically in their home during a four-week period surrounding their annual clinical evaluation. Walking speeds and the variance in these measures were calculated and compared to conventional measures of gait, motor function and cognition. Median number of walks per day was 18±15. Overall mean walking speed was 61±17cm/s. Characteristic fast walking speed was 96cm/s. Men walked as frequently and fast as women. Those using a walking aid walked significantly slower and with greater variability. Morning speeds were significantly faster than afternoon/evening speeds. In-home walking speeds were significantly associated with several neuropsychological tests as well as tests of motor performance. Unobtrusive home walking assessments are ecologically valid measures of walking function. They provide previously unattainable metrics (periodicity, variability, range of minimum and maximum speeds) of everyday motor function.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0966-6362
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.09.006
ID  - ref1
ER  -