Safe Use of Mobility Aids Checklist (SUMAC) for 4-wheeled Walker Use in Turkish Geriatric Population

Participants with dementia who are older than 65 years will be evaluated through some questionnaires such as Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Mini-Mental State Examination. They will perform the Tinetti Test and their walking speed will also be measured. Participants will perform 9 tasks stated in SUMAC and will be recorded so that the investigators can score the tasks.

Tasks include: Transition of Sit to Stand, Gait with Pivot Turn To Approach Chair To Sit, Ambulation on a Level Surface, Walking While Performing Task of Horizontal Head Turns, Walking While Performing a Concurrent Cognitive Task, Walking While Negotiating Obstacles, Walking Through an Open Doorway, Open and Walk Through a Door that Opens Away From Person, Open and Walk Through Door that Opens Towards the Person.

This study contains 4 phases. Firstly, SUMAC will be translated to Turkish by two people whose native language is Turkish and who have full knowledge of the test terminology along with advanced knowledge of English. The Turkish version will be back translated to English by two native English speakers who are not connected to this study. The final translation will be determined by the committee which includes four translators and one Turkish philologist. In the second phase, participants will be filmed during their performances of the nine tasks in SUMAC. For recording, permission will be attained from participants and the people who are in charge of their care.

Recordings will be kept in a computer protected by a password, and will be deleted once the study is completed. For the third phase, a team of physiotherapists will complete the training for every taks in SUMAC in order to evaluate participants. In the fourth phase, SUMAC's reliability and validity for a Turkish geriatric population with dementia will be evaluated.

Inclusion criteria

• Having a diagnosed dementia
• Using 4-wheeled walker
• Being 65 years old or older
• Being able to understand and speak Turkish
• Having graduated from at least middle school
• Being able to follow the instructions and act accordingly
• Being able to walk without another person's help
• Having gotten 18-23 points from the The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)

Exclusion criteria

• Having mobility limitations due to musculoskeletal and neurological problems
• Having problems walking due to neurological diseases such as Parkinson, cerebrovascular diseases and so on
• Having balance problems due to vestibular conditions
• Having severe visual impairment and/or severe hearing loss
• Having unstable cardiovascular diseases
• Having malignancy and/or receiving treatment for malignancy
• Having had a surgery related to neurological and/or orthopedic problems in the past 6 months
• Not being willing to participate