Score the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) with 10 balance and 10 gait items. Calculates total score, fall risk category, component subscores, and visual progress bars.
The Tinetti Assessment Tool, also known as the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), is a widely used structured mobility assessment for balance and gait in older adults. Developed by Dr. Mary Tinetti and colleagues, it evaluates 10 balance items and 10 gait items through direct clinician observation, producing a composite score from 0 to 28 that helps organize fall-risk assessment.
Falls are common in older adults, but the score should be read as one part of a broader fall-risk review rather than as a stand-alone prediction. The main value of the Tinetti tool is that it separates balance and gait performance, helping the examiner see where mobility is breaking down and where closer assessment may be useful.
This calculator implements the classic 20-item POMA structure across the balance and gait subscales. Each item keeps the published ordinal scoring pattern, and the page shows the total score together with the balance and gait subscores so the worksheet can be used consistently over time.
The Tinetti Assessment Tool is useful because it separates balance and gait performance instead of collapsing everything into one timed task. That makes it easier to document the observed deficit pattern, compare repeated assessments, and decide which parts of a broader fall-risk workup deserve closer attention.
Tinetti Total = Balance Score (0–16) + Gait Score (0–12) Total range: 0–28 Fall risk: <19 = High, 19–23 = Moderate, 24–28 = Low
Result: Tinetti = 20/28 — Moderate fall risk
Balance score of 12/16 (75%) and gait score of 8/12 (67%) yield a total of 20, placing the patient in the moderate fall-risk band used on this page. The relatively lower gait subscore suggests gait performance deserves closer review alongside the rest of the mobility assessment.
The Tinetti score is built from observed tasks that stress sitting balance, standing balance, turning, gait initiation, step symmetry, path, trunk control, and walking stance. Looking at the balance and gait subscores separately is often more useful than focusing only on the total.
Use the score as a structured mobility summary that can be repeated over time. A lower score is a reason to look more closely at the mobility problem and the broader fall-risk picture, not a complete explanation for why falls are happening.
The Tinetti does not measure every cause of falling. Syncope, medication effects, orthostasis, cognition, vision, footwear, and environmental hazards can all matter even when the score is not severely reduced. That is why the page is best used as one part of a full fall-prevention assessment.
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This worksheet applies the standard Tinetti POMA balance and gait item scoring to the observed inputs, then presents the total in the usual low/moderate/high reference bands. It is a structured mobility summary for fall-risk review, not a stand-alone prediction of future falls.
It is commonly used when a clinician wants a structured balance-and-gait screen for an older adult or another patient with mobility concerns, recurrent falls, neurological disease, or deconditioning. It should be used as part of a broader fall-risk assessment rather than as the only screening step.
A trained clinician can usually complete the full assessment in about 10 to 15 minutes. It requires direct observation, a chair, and a walking space rather than special technology.
Both are valid fall risk tools. The Tinetti provides more granular information (20 individual items, two subscales) for intervention planning. The TUG is faster (one timed task) and provides a single number. Many geriatric programs use both: TUG for screening, Tinetti for detailed assessment of those who screen positive.
Yes. Repeating the same structured assessment can show whether mobility is improving, stable, or worsening after rehabilitation, medication review, an assistive device change, or another intervention. Serial scoring is more useful when the same examiner and setup are used consistently.
Lower scores are usually treated as a signal for a fuller mobility and fall-risk review. The score alone does not choose the intervention; the broader evaluation still needs to consider medications, vision, home hazards, cognition, strength, and the reason for the gait or balance deficit.
No. A score of 24-28 indicates low mechanical fall risk based on balance and gait, but falls also occur from environmental hazards (rugs, uneven surfaces), acute illness (syncope, stroke), medication effects, and cognitive impairment. The Tinetti does not assess all fall risk domains.