Risk of falling among elderly persons living in the community: assessment by the Timed up and go test.

UNLABELLED The risk of falling in elderly can be analyzed by a simple mobility test. OBJECTIVE To assess the balance of elderly subjects through the 'Timed up and go' test. METHOD Subjects were timed for the moment they got up from a chair, walked for three meters, and came back to the chair. They also answered questions on imbalance, dizziness, and falls. RESULTS Approximately 69% of the subjects completed the test in up to 19 seconds. There was a significant correlation between imbalance, time spent in the test, dizziness, and falls. CONCLUSION Most of the elderly subjects performed well in the test, thus attesting to their good level of functional mobility. However, a significant number of poor-performers is probably more prone to falling and to depending on others to perform activities of daily living.