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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults
05:26

Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults

Published on: October 25, 2024

Quantitative falls risk assessment using the timed up and go test.

Barry R Greene1, Alan O'Donovan, Roman Romero-Ortuno

  • 1Intel Digital Health Group, Leixlip IR5-2-2, Ireland. barry.r.greene@intel.com

IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|October 7, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Falls are a major problem for older adults. New wearable sensors accurately assess fall risk, outperforming traditional methods like the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance Scale (BBS).

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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Rehabilitation Science

Background:

  • Falls significantly impact older adults globally, causing substantial healthcare costs and reduced quality of life.
  • Existing fall risk assessment tools, such as the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), have limitations in accuracy and objectivity.
  • There is a critical need for advanced, objective methods to predict fall risk in elderly populations to enable timely interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate an objective method for assessing fall risk in community-dwelling elderly adults using body-worn kinematic sensors.
  • To compare the predictive performance of sensor-derived gait and balance parameters against traditional fall risk assessment tools.
  • To explore the potential of kinematic sensor data for longitudinal monitoring of fall risk.

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Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults
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Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults

Published on: December 9, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults
05:26

Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults

Published on: October 25, 2024

Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults
09:19

Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults

Published on: December 9, 2014

Main Methods:

  • Assessed gait and balance in 349 community-dwelling elderly adults using body-worn kinematic sensors during the "timed up and go" (TUG) test.
  • Collected data on 44 kinematic parameters and compared them with patient fall history.
  • Evaluated patients using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and manually timed TUG test for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

  • Twenty-nine out of 44 kinematic parameters significantly discriminated between individuals with and without a history of falls.
  • Logistic regression models using kinematic data achieved a mean sensitivity of 77.3% and specificity of 75.9% for fall prediction.
  • Sensor-based assessment demonstrated superior predictive performance compared to manually timed TUG (sensitivity 58.0%, specificity 64.8%) and BBS (sensitivity 57.8%, specificity 64.2%).

Conclusions:

  • Body-worn kinematic sensors offer an objective and improved method for assessing fall risk in older adults compared to standard clinical tools.
  • This technology shows promise for integration into supervised assessments and longitudinal monitoring protocols to proactively manage fall risk.
  • Automated fall risk assessment using wearable sensors can potentially reduce healthcare burdens and improve elderly safety.