Associations of mobility and frailty risk with wayfinding ability in aging

Older adults frequently report difficulties with community wayfinding, which may be exacerbated by age-related mobility decline; however, the intersection of these processes to support navigation as a fundamental behavior for independent functioning is poorly understood. Beyond impaired locomotion, preclinical mobility decline among middle-aged and older adults is associated with cognitive decline that may affect wayfinding. The present study examined associations of mobility, grip strength as an indicator of frailty risk, multidomain cognition, and wayfinding performance on a seated virtual navigation paradigm, along with self-reported strategy preference, in a sample of 74 healthy, cognitively normal (Mini-Mental State Examination; M = 28.76, SD = 0.95) middle-aged and older adults (aged 53-89 years; M = 70.82, SD = 8; 70.3% female). Worse mobility was associated with poorer memory for environmental details. This association was partially mediated by domain-specific cognition, and processing speed had the largest unique contribution. Weaker grip strength-reflecting increased frailty risk-was associated with worse navigation efficiency in locating the hidden platform during the task, and this effect was largely independent of other cognitive correlates. Mobility and frailty risk were associated with self-reported navigation strategy preference in the real world. Individual differences in visuospatial immediate recall and delayed associative recall contributed to this association, although mediation was not supported. Taken together, mobility and frailty risk were differentially associated with wayfinding deficits in aging, which was partially shared with domain-specific cognition. Continued study can explore mobility and frailty as modifiable risk factors to maintain wayfinding ability and promote independence into late life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).