Tinetti Calculator

Written by Great Medico

Updated September 24, 2026 •2 min read

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A functional score can make change easier to track, but it is not a verdict on independence, cognition, or prognosis. Tinetti Calculator calculates the scale while keeping that distinction clear.

What this calculator does

Tinetti Calculator uses Sitting balance, Rise from chair, Attempts to rise, Standing balance: first 5 seconds, Standing balance, Response to nudging, and the remaining displayed fields to produce the low fall risk used by this calculator. It only uses the fields shown in this calculator; it does not silently add tests, diagnoses, symptoms, or clinical variables that are absent from the interface. 28-point Tinetti/POMA balance and gait scoring. Balance contributes up to 16 points and gait up to 12; lower totals indicate higher fall risk.

How to use it

Enter or select Sitting balance, Rise from chair, Attempts to rise, Standing balance: first 5 seconds, Standing balance, and the remaining displayed fields. Score what is actually observed for the person under the scale’s intended conditions rather than the best performance you think is possible. If an input is unknown, it is better to leave the calculation unresolved than to invent a value.

How the calculation works

Ten balance items are summed to a maximum of 16 and ten gait items to a maximum of 12. Their total gives the 28-point Tinetti/POMA score; this build labels below 19 high fall risk, 19–23 moderate, and 24–28 low.

Example

Using the calculator’s prefilled demonstration values, the primary output is 28 /28, labeled “Low fall risk”; Balance section is 16/16 and Gait section is 12/12. That sample is useful for checking the calculation path, but real interpretation should use verified measurements from the same clinical or study context.

How to interpret the result

Read low fall risk as a summary of the selected functional, cognitive, risk, or comorbidity items. It is most useful for communication and tracking when the same version and scoring conditions are used consistently over time.

Limitations and notes

Performance scales can vary with acute illness, fatigue, assistance, environment, language, hearing/vision, cognition, and who performs the assessment. Local cutoffs and care plans may differ, so repeated standardized assessment is often more informative than one isolated score.