Elderly Mobility Scale

[Fyzzio]

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EMS: I don't use it. Not specific enough for my assessments.
ELDERLY MOBILITY SCALE
Lying to sitting 2) independent, 1) needs help of 1 person, 0) needs help of 2 people or more
Sitting to lying 2) independent, 1) needs help of 1 person, 0) needs help of 2 people or more
Sit to stand 3) independent in under 3 seconds, 2) independent in over 3 seconds, 1) needs help of 1 person, 0) needs help of 2 people or more
Stand 3) Stands without support and able to reach, 2) Stands without support but needs support to reach, 1) stands but needs support, 0) stands only with physical support, e.g. help of another person
Gait 3) independent (including use of sticks), 2) independent with frame, 1) mobile with walking aid but erratic/ unsafe turning (needs occasional supervision), 0) needs physical help to walk or constant supervision
Timed walk – 6 meters 3) under 15 seconds, 2) 16 – 30 seconds, 1) over 30 seconds, 0) unable to cover 6 meters
Functional reach 4) over 16 cm, 2) 8 – 16 cm, 0) under 8 cm or unable


Functional Reach : yes, this is a very common and easy to use outcome measure; the beauty of it is that is has been validated for most of the common neurological presentations and for the general elderly population

Instructions from:http://www.rehabmeasures.org/PDF%20L...ach%20Test.pdf; the tape measure or measuring stick is taped to the wall

Functional Reach Test
General Information: The Functional Reach test can be administered while the patient is standing (Functional Reach) or sitting (Modified Functional Reach). Instructions should include leaning as far as possible in each direction without rotation and without touching the wall. Record the distance in centimeters covered in each direction. If the patient is unable to raise the affected arm, the distance covered by the acromion during leaning is recorded. First trial in each direction is a practice trial and should not included in the final result. A 15 second rest break should be allowed between trials.
Set-up: A yardstick and duck tap will be needed for the assessment. The yardstick should be affixed to the wall at the level of the patient’s acromion.

Functional Reach (standing instructions): The patient is instructed to next to, but not touching, a wall and position the arm that is closer to the wall at 90 degrees of shoulder flexion with a closed fist. The assessor records the starting position at the 3rd metacarpal head on the yardstick. Instruct the patient to “Reach as far as you can forward without taking a step.” The location of the 3rd metacarpal is recorded. Scores are determined by assessing the difference between the start and end position is the reach distance, usually measured in inches. Three trials are done and the average of the last two is noted.

But it is just one of many outcome measures used and certainly only useful for evaluating a person's static balance. Not more.

Hope this helps,
Fyzzio