Effect of visual dependence and task loads on the TUG sub-components in old and young adults

The Timed Up & Go (TUG) is one of the recommended tools in rehabilitation settings to assess the probability of falling in the elderly. However, the test does not incorporate any of the environmental or multitasking elements identified as increasing risk for falls. Older adults are more visually dependent than younger adults; thus, they are more likely to fall when visual or other distractions disrupt their multisensory integration. We have used virtual reality in a dual tasking paradigm that coupled a visual dynamic environment with a common motor task during the TUG test to gain insight into the sensorimotor integration in older adults. Our results suggest that negotiating a visual scene in a dual tasking paradigm can reveal kinematic difference in motor behavior in some of the activities of the TUG test more than the standard TUG test score, which is only time-based.