Geriatrics Palmer Exam 2 Practice 2026 - Free Geriatrics Exam Practice Questions and Study Guide

The primary purpose of the Tinetti POMA is to quickly assess an older adult’s balance and gait to identify fall risk and guide prevention efforts. It’s a performance-based screening tool that combines balance and gait tasks to yield a score reflecting an individual’s mobility level. Lower scores indicate greater impairment and higher fall risk, which helps clinicians decide on interventions like balance training, assistive devices, or home safety modifications. It is not used to diagnose neurological disease, it does not replace a full neurological exam, and it does not measure cardiac output.