Kite Research Rounds: Characterising mobility impairments in dementia from lab-based performance to real world behaviours: potential considerations for diagnosis and care
Speaker: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle
29 September 2025
Abstract
Physical mobility impairments are common in people living with dementia and can occur many years before diagnosis. Traditionally, research has focused on laboratory-based assessments of gait and balance to identify these changes in all-cause dementia, often overlooking differences across dementia subtypes. This presentation will discuss the potential application of lab-based mobility assessment to support differential diagnosis of dementia subtypes by characterizing mobility in Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Additionally, novel mobility measures such as turning will be described, which may capture early and subtle impairments not visible in standard walking tests.
Beyond the laboratory, digital health tools now allow us to capture real-world walking behaviours over extended periods. This provides the opportunity to examine how socio-ecological factors, such as environment, confidence, and social support, interact with disease-related features to shape everyday mobility.
By linking performance-based and ecologically valid measures, we can begin to develop a more holistic understanding of mobility in dementia. This knowledge offers potential to enhance early diagnosis, identify meaningful outcomes for interventions, and guide personalized approaches to care and support.
Biography
Dr. Ríona Mc Ardle is a Senior Research Fellow at Newcastle University in the UK. Her work focuses on improving how we understand, measure and support mobility in dementia and related conditions. She uses digital health tools, participatory approaches, and partnerships with people affected by dementia to design research and interventions that make a real difference to everyday life. This work aims to advance the accurate and early diagnosis of dementia and to improve care by identifying better ways to monitor and support mobility as the condition progresses.