The de Morton mobility index: Normative data for a clinically useful mobility instrument

Determining mobility status is an important component of any health assessment for older adults. in order for a mobility measure to be relevant and meaningful,normative data are required for comparison to a healthy reference population. the demmi is the first mobility instrument to measure mobility across the spectrum from bed bound to functional levels of independent mobility. in this cross-sectional observational study,normative data were obtained for the demmi from a population of 183 healthy,community-dwelling adults age 60+ who resided in vancouver,canada and melbourne,australia. older age categories had significantly lower demmi mobility mean scores (p < 0.05),as did individuals who walked with a mobility aid or lived in semi-independent living (assisted living or retirement village),whereas demmi scores did not differ by sex (p = 0.49) or reported falls history (p = 0.21). normative data for the demmi mobility instrument provides vital reference scores to facilitate its use across the mobility spectrum in clinical,research,and policymaking settings. © 2012 e. m. macri et al.