Tinetti Test

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According to Gates, Smith, Fisher, and Lamb (2008) around one third of patients above 65 years of age falls yearly, and around 5 to 10 percent of falls causes injuries. Fall related injuries have devastating consequences to the life of elderly people. Some of the long-term consequences of falls include decreased independence, fear of falling and disability (Gates et al., 2008). Therefore, screening for patients who are at risk for falls is very vital, as we can identify those patients who will benefit from physical therapy interventions. Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Tinetti test are two of the most common screening test used by physical therapists for determining the risk of falls among elderly patients. Several studies were conducted to …show more content…
The balance section evaluates sitting balance, sit to stand transition, standing balance, turning, balance when given external perturbations and balance when eyes are closed (Lin et al., 2004). The gait section evaluates initiation of gait, foot clearance, trunk stability, path deviation, turning while walking and step length, symmetry and continuity (Lin et al., 2004). A score of 18 or less indicates high risk for falls, 19 to 23 indicates moderate risk for falls and 24 or greater indicates low risk for falls (Lin et al., 2004). I like using the Tinetti test as it is very functional. I can actually get the score of most of the items in the Tinetti test by just observing how the patient ambulates when he opens the door for me. As a home health physical therapist, I like using tests that are functional and meaningful for the patient. Like the TUG test, the Tinetti test is easy to administer, there is no special training or specialized equipment needed. However, some of my patients who have cognitive impairments have difficulties following some of the instructions. Most of my patients have difficulties following the balance test component with the eyes closed. I like using both the TUG test and Tinetti test as both test are very useful screening tools that is easy to administer in a home health setting. However, research based evidence found out that both test are not sufficient to determine the risk for falls among elderly (Gates et al.,
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