Rollator Use and Functional Outcome of Geriatric Rehabilitation
By Vogt, Lutz; Lucki, Katrin; Bach, Matthias; Banzer, Winfried; Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 11-156Publication Date: 2010
Study examined the effect of rollator use on functional rehabilitation outcome in geriatric patients. Participants were 90 patients 65 years of age or older who were independently mobile and able to perform the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG), Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand (FTSST), and Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment-Balance (POMA-B) tests. Participants were assigned to three study groups according to their rollator experience: 30 first time users who were not using assistive devices in their daily lives but received a wheeled walker upon hospital admission, 30 long term users who were actively using rollators as their primary walking aid for at least 3 months, and a control group of 30 participants without walking aid assistance. The motor tests were administered at baseline and following a rehabilitation program comprising an average of 31 30-minute sessions of physiotherapy including ergotherapy and ergometer exercises. Results showed that controls and device users, regardless of their walking aid experience, demonstrated nearly comparable mobility, strength, and balance improvements. More than half of participants in each group achieved functional gains in all three motor tests. Based on study results, the authors conclude that rollator assistance does not interfere with rehabilitation outcome and, to some extent, legitimates the prescription of assistive devices to improve confidence and restore or maintain motor ability.
Published by:
VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service (Web Site: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J58602
