Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Test
What It Measures
The Tinetti test, also called the Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), watches how well an older adult balances and walks. A clinician scores a series of everyday movements like standing up from a chair, turning, and walking a short distance, to build a picture of overall stability and fall risk.
The test has two parts: a 9-item balance section and a 7-item gait section, each scored on a 3-point scale, for a combined total out of 28 points. Occupational and physical therapists use it across home health, hospital, skilled nursing, and outpatient settings, most often with older adults recovering from stroke or living with Parkinson's disease or chronic pain, with a commonly used interpretation of scores below 19 indicating high fall risk.
