MEDizzy - You are assessing a 78 year old woman as part of

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Ageing and disease

You are assessing a 78 year old woman as part of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. Which one of the following measurements would best allow you to predict her falls risk?

ExplanationTimed ‘get up and go’ test is a good predictor of future falls risk, and also allows observation of the gait for unsteadiness. Six-minute walk test measures endurance rather than ‘fast-twitch’ lower limb function (which is more closely correlated with balance and falls risk). The Barthel Index measures dependency in activities of daily living, and although hand grip is a good measure of overall physical status (and forms part of the criteria for frailty), it is less directly relevant to falls risk.