Psychometric properties of a mobility measure in older adults with dementia and its application for the transition model to an incidence of fall: for developing a clinically useful tool.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350684
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Kibi International University
• Principal Investigator: SAITOH KEISUKE 吉備国際大学, 保健医療福祉学部, 教授 (20325913)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KAZUHIRO HARADA 吉備国際大学, 保健医療福祉学部, 准教授 (80449892) ; KOUJIRO KAGAWA 関西福祉大学, 社会福祉学研究科, 特任教授 (70142875)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症高齢者 / 移動能力指標 / 尺度開発 / 転倒発生プロセス / 知的機能 / 行動・心理症状

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was to validate psychometric properties of an existing mobility measure for older adults with dementia, and describe the transition of clinical symptoms and mobility status to an incident of fall, for developing a useful scale to predict falls. Our results revealed that the Rivermead mobility index (RMI) fits the Guttman scale and has adequate reliability, validity and responsiveness. In hospitalized patients, mobility deterioration of fallers worsened significantly before the falling accident along with decreases of intellectual function and increases of behavioral symptom. Among community-dwelling senior day-care participants, both mobility status and clinical symptoms of fallers were stable, but behavioral symptoms were significantly higher than those of non-fallers. These findings suggested that the RMI has a property to predict fall events in older adults with dementia.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション科学・福祉工学