Grip strength impairments among older adults receiving physical therapy in a home-care setting

A hand-grip dynamometer was used to assess the magnitude and prevalence of grip strength impairments among 41 home-care patients with diverse diagnoses (e.g., stroke, cancer, fracture, osteoarthritis). Based on published reference values, patients (as a whole) were weaker than normal for age and sex. The prevalence of weakness was 85.4% on one or the other side and 70.7% on both sides. Considering the prognostic importance of grip strength, this study emphasized the potential value of its measurement in a home-care population.