Thus, a reduced level of independent mobility is a predictor of institutionalization (Von Bonsdorff, Rantanen, Laukkanen, Suutama, & Heikkinen, 2006), fall incidents (Sterke, Huisman, van Beeck, Looman, & van der Cammen, 2010 McGough, Logsdon, Kelly, & Teri, 2013), dependence, and mortality and is also inversely associated with quality of life (Davis et al., 2015). Gait disturbances represent a functional limitation in elderly people with a predictive potential for the development of comorbidities. Due to diminished independent mobility, it is becoming increasingly difficult for older adults to visit grocery stores, the doctor’s office, the hairdresser, or participate in the choir, craft group, or other sociocultural activities (Giannouli, Bock, Mellone, & Zijlstra, 2016). However, a decline in an individual’s level of independence can negatively affect personal safety and quality of life (Stubbs, Schofield, & Patchay, 2016 Johnen 2017). Maintaining physical mobility such as gait (locomotor task) is essential for social participation and maintaining quality of life (Metz, 2000 Shafrin, Sullivan, Goldman, & Gill, 2017). The ability to navigate safely and efficiently through the environment is a critical aspect of an individual’s level of independence. That said, mobility needs to be considered in a more differentiated way, taking into account parameters in the subphases to detect changes more sensitively and to derive recommendations in a more individualized way. We confirmed the effectiveness of the iTUG as a tool to measure exercise intervention effects in nursing home residents, especially when participants exhibit high attendance rates.

The Barthel Index moderated the effect between attendance rate and the total duration of the iTUG test, ΔR 2 = 8.34%, F(1,44) = 4.69, p = 0.036, 95% CI. However, we did not observe significant group × time interaction effects in the subphases. We observed significant correlations between the attendance rates and the total iTUG duration ( r(50) = 0.328, p = 0.010).

According to the attendance rates, participants were divided into three groups. Methodsįifty long-term nursing home residents (34 women, 82.7 ± 6.46 years 16 men, 78.6 ± 7.0 years) performed the iTUG test before and after a 16-week intervention period (2 × 45–60 min/week). Therefore, we evaluated the iTUG as a tool to measure the effects of a multicomponent exercise intervention on the iTUG subphases in nursing home residents. The instrumented Timed Up and Go (iTUG) test provides guidance for appropriate interventions, for example, when considering the subphases within the TUG. To achieve independence in activities of daily living, a certain level of functional ability is necessary.

Time up review