What are the screening tests?
Ans : Evaluate range of motion of the neck, shoulders, and wrists. Evaluate balance and gait with the Get Up and Go Test. In this brief and practical test, the older patient is asked to rise from a chair, walk 10 feet, turn around, walk back, and then sit down in the chair. The test is timed and usually takes 15 seconds. The clinician should observe the use of the arms or hands to assist the rise from the chair, the height and length of the steps, use of the arms when walking, balance and ease of the turnaround (the most unstable portion of the gait), and how easily the older patient sits down again. There are no established norms to score the test, but observation of these aspects of the older patient’s performance during the Get Up and Go Test can provide important information on the risk for falls and driving problems.
