FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF BALANCE AND GAIT

Individuals must be able to maintain an upright posture under a variet y of conditions and to move independently. These constructs of balance and gait are fundamental components of physical functioning and shoul d be incorporated into clinical assessment of older adults. The primar y objective, therefore, is to review existing measures of functional b alance and gait, concentrating on those which are quantitative, practi cal for use in clinical settings, and have demonstrated acceptable mea surement properties. In addition, we discuss the rationale for the fun ctional assessment of balance and gait, review essential measurement c riteria, and discuss the utility of valid standardized measurement in clinical practice.