The Use of Five Repetition Sit to Stand Test (FRSTST) to Assess Fall Risk in the Assisted Living Population

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Aims: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Five Repetition Sit to Stand Test (FRSTST) cutoff score for fall prediction in community-dwelling older adults (>15 s) is valid for predicting falls in individuals living in an assisted-living facility. Methods: Eighteen subjects (78–95 years old ±4.4 years) performed the FRSTST and were followed over a 12-month period. The incidence of falls was collected from facility incident reports after 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: The 6-month receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis revealed that a time of greater than 23.8 seconds demonstrated 85.71% sensitivity and 90.91% specificity (p = 0.0033) using a chi-square test. Age, weight, height, body mass index, length of stay at the facility, and Mini-Mental State Exam score were analyzed and found not predictive of falls at 3, 6, and 12 months. Conclusion: The FRSTST can be used semianually in this setting to predict falls using a score of 23.8 s, which is higher than the score for community-dwelling older adults adults. Possible explanations include lower physical and cognitive capabilities, access to 24-hour care, supervision of medications, less participation in risk behaviors, and environmental modifications. Clinical judgment and additional objective measures should be used in addition to this measure for a thorough assessment of fall risk.