Life-Space Assessment

The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) is an interview-based measure developed by Baker and colleagues in 2003 to evaluate the geographic range and frequency of mobility in community-dwelling older adults. Unlike traditional measures that focus on lower extremity function in controlled settings, the LSA captures the actual areas persons frequent in daily life—from the bedroom to the neighborhood to the larger community—and the frequency and independence with which they access these spaces. It provides a comprehensive portrait of functional mobility in real-world contexts and is a strong predictor of disability, institutionalization, and mortality.