Key benefits:

• Gait speed is an important health biomarker that not only flags frailty and fall risk, but also disability, cognitive decline and the risk of cardiac events.
• The app represents a significant breakthrough and means gait assessments can be conducted by anyone, anywhere, at any time. Gone is the need for specialised equipment like sensors, mats, or special clothing.
• The assessments can be done in nursing homes, GP practices, outpatient clinics, on hospital wards, and even in someone’s own home
• For patients with chronic diseases such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or arthritis, walking speed serves as an indicator of disease progression and response to treatment
• This accessible technology that measures subtle changes in gait performance easily and accurately will enhance the detection of declining health and the timely delivery of care to older people. Critically it is hoped this will mean the necessary medical interventions occur ahead of significant falls or other illnesses.