Impaired Mobility and Functional Decline in Older Adults Evidence to Facilitate a Practice Change Deanna Gray-Miceli, PhD, GNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FGSA, FNAP a,b, * INTRODUCTION On any day of the year, and instigated by many factors, impaired mobility and func- tional decline occur, all too commonly, among thousands of adults over the age of 65 in our nation. 1 Functional limitations, such as inability to ambulate and impaired mobility, are precursors to disability of notable clinical significance and importance to older adults. Not only are mobility limitations common in older adults and due to multiple determinants such as the effects of chronic diseases, but also mobility The author reports no funding for this work, and no conflicts of interest. a Rutgers University, School of Nursing, 180 University Avenue, 258 Ackerson Hall, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; b Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA * Corresponding author. Rutgers University, School of Nursing, 180 University Avenue, 258 Ac- kerson Hall, Newark, NJ 07102. E-mail addresses: dmiceli@sn.rutgers.edu; deannanp@aol.com KEYWORDS  Impaired mobility  Physician function  Older adults  Nagi disablement framework  Lived experience  Geriatric syndromes KEY POINTS  Individualizing care to improve function and mobility is an essential component in the pro- vision of quality health care to older adults.  The overall health promotion effects of early intervention around a basic necessity, mobility, are clear.  Untoward health outcomes from reduced mobility and functional decline are also well established.  Professional nurses will need to advocate for older adults on their units in the hospital and in other settings, by critically analyzing policies and procedures, ensuring that mobility is properly assessed, and mobility impairment is addressed by all members of the health care team. Nurs Clin N Am 52 (2017) 469–487 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2017.05.002 nursing.theclinics.com 0029-6465/17/ª 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.