Mobility on discharge from an aged care unit.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Independent mobility is a crucial element of independent living and quality of life. However, little is known about the mobility of older people around the time of discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. The present study aimed to describe mobility on discharge from an aged care rehabilitation unit. METHOD: The study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional design. Ninety-five patients (mean age 81 (+/-8) years; 60% female) with diverse chronic conditions (median 5) who were able to walk at least 10m without weight-bearing restrictions were recruited from the aged care rehabilitation wards. Scores on the Barthel Index were obtained on admission and discharge to provid..