Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Lower limb amputation is a disabling condition that affects an individuals' balance, mobility, and participation. It is important to use valid and reliable outcome measures to evaluate the individuals' outcomes, track their progress, determine the effectiveness of specific interventions, and optimize clinical decision making. There is a lack of validated outcomes measures for individuals with lower limb amputation. As a result, using measures validated in other populations does not transfer confidence in the precision and stability of the evaluation estimates in those with lower limb amputation. Balance, mobility, and physical activity represent key outcomes that are validated in other populations but not in individuals with lower limb amputation are: the Four Square Step Test (FSST) is a balance test for identifying fall risk; the Life Space Assessment (LSA) which is an important tool for assessing mobility; and the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (PASE) which is a measure of frequency of participation in physical activity and metabolic activity for older adults. Therefore, in this study evidence of validaity for the FSST, PASE, and also LSA in older adults with lower limb amputation, was provided. Our results are generalizable to older, experienced community living adults.