Gill TM, et al. - In this prospective longitudinal study, researchers assessed the prognostic impact of alterations in physical function at different intervals over the prior year on subsequent outcomes after accounting for present function in community-living persons aged 71 and older who completed an 18-month comprehensive assessment. After 18 months, time to death and long-term nursing home admission (defined as 3 months and longer) were determined for up to 5 years. Even though it was considered a strong bivariate predictor when assessing the risk of adverse outcomes, such as death and long-term nursing home admission, no useful prognostic information, over and above that available from current level of function, was had by evaluating change in physical function at different intervals over the prior year.