Abstract
To compare the parameters of gait kinematics of older adults with cognitive impairment who live in community dwellings or those living or spending most of the time in non-family environment settings. The sample was composed of 33 older adults of both sexes with cognitive impairment. Participants were separated into three groups: a community-dwelling older adult group comprised of 11 subjects; a semi-institutionalized older adult group comprised of 10 older adults attended in a geriatric daycare institution; and an institutionalized older adult group comprised of 12 older adults living in long-term institutions. Gait kinematics were recorded by pressure sensors (footswitches). Fifty gait cycles at self-selected pace were analyzed to obtain: gait speed, stride length, stance, swing, and stride time. The variability of these parameters was also analyzed. MANCOVA identified the main effect of groups (p<0.001). Gait speed of older adults living in long-term institutions and older adults attended in geriatric daycare institutions was slower than community-living older adults (p<0.001 and p=0.04, respectively). Swing and stride time variability was higher in older adults living in long-term institutions (p=0.003 and p=0.001) and in older adults attended in geriatric daycare institutions (p=0.02 and p=0.001) than in community-dwelling older adults. The most important finding was that older adults with cognitive impairment who need non-family residential setting care had higher gait kinematics abnormalities, which may increase the risk of falls, compared to those who live in the community.
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