In an article published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, January 1999, entitled "The Power of Ageism on Physical Function of Older Persons: Reversability of Age Related Gait Changes" written by Haudoff, shows that exposure to certain types of words affect a person's gait. In the study done by Haudoff, older persons were exposed on a subconscious level to both positive and negative words. Haudoff found that patients exposed to the positive words improved in both walking speed and the amount of time they spent swinging their leg in the air. The positive words that were used on the computer screen were "wise, astute, accomplished". The negative words that were flashed were "senile, dependent, diseased".

To get your older patients to walk better, there may be other areas of rehabilitation that we can use that we are not making available to our patients. Therapists can use this information, even if they don't have available the high tech computer equipment that Haudoff had. During our gait training sessions, we can be sure to use positive words such as wise, astute, and accomplished, and try to avoid words such as senile, dependent, and diseased. This can be an extra boost to help our patients improve their gait and safety.