Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of older and younger adults to learn a functional motor task following a single session of directed practice. The task under investigation was the use of a standard walker to get into the passenger side of a fourdoor sedan using a specific procedure.Methods: Thirty younger community-dwelling adults (aged 20-35), and thirty older community-dwelling adults (aged 61-93), with no diagnosis of dementia and no prior experience using a walker were included in the study. Subjects received individual instruction using a predetermined in-
The degree to which declarative memory influences the ability to learn a functional motor task is relevant to clinicians working with older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between performance on a memory assessment tool and performance of a novel motor task following a single session of directed practice. Thirty community-dwelling older adults (11 males and 19 females) were tested for declarative memory function using the Wechsler Memory Scale III. Subjects were instructed in a specific procedure for using a walker to transfer into the passenger side of an automobile, and scored on their ability to perform that same task 48 hours after instruction. Scores achieved on the memory tests were compared to scores obtained by performance of that novel motor task. The data were analyzed using correlational and multiple regression techniques, and revealed a
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