Older adults identified as fall risk during a hospital stay may be at high risk for decreased ambulation during hospitalization and after discharge. Little is known about ambulation frequency in older adults identified as fall risk during a hospital stay or their trajectory of ambulation patterns after an acute hospitalization. Individual ambulation frequency, patterns, functional performance, and fear of falls for 14 older adults were studied. Accelerometers were worn by patients during their hospital stay and for 4 weeks post-discharge. Novel analytics using piecewise regression were used to analyze data. Patterns of ambulation were heterogeneous, and 64% of patients demonstrated no change in the first 2 weeks post-discharge. Increase in ambulation frequency was positively correlated with higher Katz Activities of Daily Living Index scores, gait speed, and lower fear of falls score. Ambulation patterns in older adults identified as fall risk show promise in capturing ambulation recovery and functional ability post-discharge.
Date:
2019-05
Relation:
Research in Gerontological Nursing. 2019 May-Jun;12(3):113-119.
