Functional Performance Measures for Older Adults

Course Description:

“Functional Performance” – is defined as an individual’s capacity to carry out activities required for daily life.  Do you worry about your patient’s abilities?  Are you afraid that they are a fall risk?  Sarah “Sally” Stillings, MA, PT, MPT, CHT, guides us on a journey to understanding Functional Performance Measures for Older Adults and how we can utilize them to increase a patient’s safety, mobility, self-care, leisure pursuits and other activities. 

This course will help utilize measurement tools in the priority areas for geriatric functional performance assessment:

*Mobility
*Balance
*Lower extremity function
*Upper extremity function
*Activities of daily living

Methods of Instruction:

Online video course

Course Instructor:

Sarah R. Stillings, MA, PT, MPT, CHT

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapist Assistants and Athletic Trainers.

Educational Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

None

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. Identify what Functional Performance Measures can assess and how the tools can benefit the older population
2. Identify how impairments relate to functional deficits
3. Recognize important factors in selecting the correct Functional Performance Measure for your patient
4. Differentiate between Single-Activity Mobility Measures – Gait Speed, 6-Minute Walk Test, 400-Meter Walk Test, Five Times Sit to Stand (5TSTS) Test, 30-Second Sit to Stand (30-Second STS) Test, Floor Transfer (Floor Rise) Test, Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test, and Dual-Task Timed Up and Go (Dual-Task TUG) Test
5. Differentiate between Multi-Activity Mobility Measures- Physical Performance Test (PPT), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
6. Recognize Multidimensional Instruments – Functional Independence Measure (FIM), The Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)
7. Identify Balance and Fall-Risk Measures
8. Differentiate between common static and dynamic balance tests – Romberg Test, Single Leg Stance Test, Four-Square Step Test (4SST of FSST)
9. Differentiate between Multi-Activity Balance Performance Measures - Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment, Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BEST)
10. Recognize how to administer and interpret each Functional Performance Measure

Criteria for Obtaining Continuing Education Credits:

A score of 70% or greater on the post-test