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Elderly subjects were divided into young-old and old-old groups, then further divided into falls caused by stumbling and no-falls groups, and the relationship between motor function and falls was investigated. [Subjects] Thirty elderly subjects, aged over 65, who could walk independently. [Methods] The subjects were divided into young-old and old-old, as well as falls, and no-falls groups and their motor functions were analyzed using twoway analysis of variance. [Results] Differences were found in maximum step width between the falls and no-falls groups, as well as the young-old and old-old groups. Differences in plantar flexion and dorsiflexion, and standing on tiptoe were also found between the falls and no-falls groups, but not between the young-old and old-old groups. [Conclusion] As an assessment for the prevention of falls caused by stumbling among the elderly, plantar flexion and dorsiflexion tests are indices which are little-affected by age.

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Focusing on the frequency of going out, this study investigated whether the 3-meter zigzag walking test (3ZW) is a useful index for assessing the gait ability needed by the elderly for going out. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 30 elderly persons aged 65 years or over who were regularly visiting a medical facility. The subjects were classified into two groups, based on their going out frequencies, and logistic regression analysis was conducted using their results in the 3ZW, timed up-and-go test (TUG), and 10-m walking test (10WT) as independent variables. In addition, using the walking speeds of the two groups, the most statistically valid 3ZW cutoff value was determined from the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). [Results] The 3ZW was determined to be a variable affecting the frequency of going out. The cutoff value for the 3ZW was judged from the ROC to be 11.1 s. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the gait ability needed for going out can be judged using the cutoff value as a boundary.