Progress Reports

What We Test:

- Grip Strength is an indicator of ability to complete activities of daily living such as carrying shopping.
- Lower grip strength is associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, dementia and alzheimers all-cause mortality and physical decline leading to aged care.
- Grip strength is measured with shoulders by the side and elbow at 90 degrees with a 3 second maximal squeeze

For every 5kg decrease in grip strength there is a 22% increase in developing dementia and a 22% increase in dementia mortality

From June 2019-2020 there were 5000 deaths resulting in falls of those over 65 in Australia, from June 2020-21 there were 141000 hospitalisations(42% of injury hospitalisations).
The balance test we mainly use is the 4 stage balance test
This test looks at 4 different balance exercises looking at if you can hold each test for 30 seconds prior to moving to the next level
We have a few extra levels for those unable to balance with feet together or one foot directly in front of the other noted with an “*”
Stages(Wide split stance*, Feet together, Split Stance*, Tandem Stance, Single Leg, Single Leg on Foam
Under 10 seconds of tandem stance balance completed indicates mobility aids can be beneficial- if unable to hold for over 10 seconds considered to be a high falls risk

Classification	Result
Excellent	Balance on foam over 10 sec
Good	Single Leg Balance over 10 sec
Below Average	Tandem Stance Balance above 10 sec
Poor	Tandem Stance Below 10 sec or feet together balance

30s Sit to Stand assesses lower body strength, falls risk and ability to complete tasks such as sit to stands, transfers and other activities of daily living
Higher scores are associated with increased ability to complete the above tasks
We test how many times you are able to stand up and sit down out of a chair in 30 seconds
Good scores generally consist of more than 10 times in 30 seconds

We look at the quality of you going up and down stairs
Many people can lack confidence using the stairs
By keeping your toes pointing forward on the way up and down the stairs and leading with your heel on the way down it can help to strengthen your muscles and help make going up and down the stairs safer
This test is applicable to those who can/would like to use the stairs
It is okay to hold on to the hand rail
While some people may not use the stairs it can be an important skill to have for outing to places that only have access via stairs(this is applicable to people who do use a walker and have someone that can bring it up the stairs for them)

We either look at walking quality or how far you can walk in 6 minutes
Walking with heels first and toes pointed forward can help with balance
Walking is an important skill to maintain and is really important for heart health and overall wellbeing
A 1000 step increase is associated with a 23% decrease of all cause mortality and for every 500 step increase there is a reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease by 6%
Whilst a 1000 step increase may be difficult for some we recommend a small increase upon current exercise levels to help

We assess aches and pains and can recommend some easy exercises to help manage the pain rather than rely on pain medication and rest
This can help you to participate more in day to day activities without having to worry about the impact of your aches and pains

Based off your testing results and aches and pains we recommend the 3 most important exercises to help you improve
Generally these can be completed each day(more often for pain relief exercises)
These exercises change over time as your health improves, some of the exercises which may not be suitable now can be important exercises in the future and some of the exercises that are important now may be too easy or not suitable in the future

We Recommend how often we think you would benefit the most from our services
This is a recommendation, however we are happy to fit in with your current schedule/budget and discuss what works best