WALKING ASSESSMENT
The analysis of walking was performed with a Bessou locometer [17] and SATEL ® software. The principle of this data
analysis method consists of recording the longitudinal movement of each foot during an approximately 10 m long walk.
The movement of each foot was transmitted, by means of a thread, to an optical sensor. The spatiotemporal data of a
walking cycle were recorded. The phases of acceleration and deceleration were eliminated to ensure that the
calculated values corresponded to the stabilized speed [17]. Prior to walking, the patient was seated on a chair to
facilitate strap installation. The patient’s feet were in contact with the locometer, and the threads were switched on.
Following these verifications, the patient stood up and walked the 10 m at a comfortable speed. A chair was set up at
that distance to provide a demented individual with a reference point and to facilitate removal of the straps. The
parameters selected were walking speed, stride length and double limb support time.