Characteristics of the care home residents as recorded at the baseline assessment
| Characteristic | Prevalence (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (mean, range) | 86 (57–102) |
| Sex (% female) | 80 |
| Long term problems | |
| Arthritis, lower limb | 33 |
| History of stroke | 14 |
| Diabetes | 9 |
| Parkinson’s disease | 6 |
| Postural hypotension | 26 |
| Dizziness | |
| When first get out of bed | 12 |
| When stand up quickly | 17 |
| Other | 15 |
| Ability to transfer (moving from chair to bed and back again) | |
| Assistance needed | 21 |
| Walking, needs physical help or constant supervision | 21 |
| Steps and stairs, needs physical assistance or unable to do physically | 54 |
| Use of walking aid | |
| Any | 55 |
| Stick(s) | 23 |
| Zimmer frame | 29 |
| Walking frame with wheels | 5 |
| Use of a wheelchair | |
| Any time | 39 |
| At home | 13 |
| When out | 30 |
| Difficulty seeing (with glasses if appropriate) | |
| 16 | |
| Television | 12 |
| Immediate surroundings | 10 |
| Cataracts | 14 |
| Glaucoma | 5 |
| Registered blind/partially sighted | 6 |
| Falls and fractures | |
| Fallen in the last 3 months | 27 |
| Fracture in the last 3 months | 2 |