Gait in Older Adults: A Review of the Literature with an Emphasis Toward Achieving Favorable Clinical Outcomes, Part I

CME Article

This is Part I of a two-part article. Part I provides a gait and posture overview and discusses age-related changes and measures of gait. Part II (to be published in the next issue of Clinical Geriatrics) will focus on pathologies and interventions.

This activity is sponsored by The North American Center for Continuing Medical Education.

Participating Faculty

Meredith H. Harris
PT, DPT, EdD

Maureen K. Holden
PT, PhD

Lawrence P. Cahalin
PT, MA

Diane Fitzpatrick
PT, DPT, MS

Susan Lowe
PT, DPT, MS, GCS

Paul K. Canavan
PT, PhD

Target Audience

Internists, family practitioners, geriatricians, cardiologists, and others who care for older patients.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants should be able to:

Discuss both the “normal” and pathological gait changes that occur in older adults.
Explain temporal-distance measures of gait.
Describe functional outcome measures of gait.
Understand the relationship between distance walked in walk tests and aging or pathological gait.

Credit Eligibility

To be eligible for documentation of credit, participants must read all article content, log on to www.princetoncme.com to complete the online post-test with a score of 70% or better, and complete the online evaluation form. Participants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation form online may immediately print their documentation of credit. Please e-mail info@naccme.com or call (609) 371-1137 if you have questions or need additional information.

Release Date: July 15, 2008

Expiration Date: July 15, 2009

There is no fee associated with this activity.

CME Accreditation

This activity is sponsored by the North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME). NACCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. NACCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This activity has been planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies.

Disclosures

All those with control over the content of continuing education programs sponsored by NACCME are expected to disclose whether they do or do not have any real or apparent conflict(s) of interest or other relationships related to the content of their presentation(s). It is not assumed that these relationships will have an adverse impact on presentations; they are simply noted here to fully inform participants.

The authors, Dr. Harris, Dr. Holden, Mr. Cahalin, Dr. Fitzpatrick, Dr. Lowe, and Dr. Canavan, have disclosed that they have no significant financial relationship with any organization that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest in the context of the subject of their article.

Reviewer: Dr. Miller has disclosed no significant financial relationship with any organization that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest in the context of the subject of this article.

Editor: M. Edwards has disclosed no significant financial relationship.

All NACCME employees involved in the planning and editing of this educational activity have disclosed that they have no significant financial relationship with any organization that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest in the context of this educational activity.

Conflict of Interest Resolution-Content Validation

In compliance with ACCME Standards for Commercial Support and NACCME’s policy and procedure for resolving conflicts of interest, this continuing medical education activity was reviewed by a member of the Advisory Board in June, 2008 for clinical content validity, to ensure that the activity’s materials are fair, balanced, and free of bias, and that the activity materials represent a standard of practice within the profession in the U.S. and that any studies cited in the materials upon which recommendations are made are scientifically objective and conform to research principles generally accepted by the scientific community.