Older adults have identified stair

Older adults have identified stair negotiation as one of the most difficult tasks attributable to aging and is one of the leading causes of fall related injuries. In a sample of 310 nondisabled older adults, more than 45% reported difficulties in climbing stairs, and about 30% reported difficulties in stair descent. If physical disability is superimposed on normal aging, the ability to negotiate stairs safely could be seriously compromised, which in turn could be a critical factor in the loss of independence in older adults.6 Understanding the normal, age-related alterations in movement control is important to provide a benchmark against which rehabilitation professionals working with a wide range of people with physical limitations can gauge mobility.