Modeling deviations in gait coordination and mobility in older adults

Mobility impairments can lead to social isolation, decreased physical activity and accompanying health co-morbidities. Age-related differences in mobility are frequently accompanied by changes in gait strategies. Certain walking gait parameters may be valuable in the early assessment of cognitive decline and disease development in the aging population. Rowe’s investigation aims to define the biomechanical differences in the effect of aging on gait coordination patterns in and between males and females, and to define normative walking gait patterns in both young and older adults. Initial results have defined age and sex-related changes in gait strategies associated with healthy aging and have provided the framework to compare gait patterns in older adults with clinical conditions at both the Juravinski and St Joseph’s hospitals in Hamilton.