Vital Signs
Weighs Ambulatory Client
Weigh the resident on the same scale, at the same time of day, in similar clothing for accurate comparison. The resident wears non-skid footwear. Balance the scale, ask the resident to step on, read at eye level, step off, record.
3-5 minutes•7 steps•3 critical
Why this matters
Non-skid shoes on. Same scale, same time, same clothes for comparison.
Quick tips
- Same scale + same time of day + similar clothing = comparable readings
- Resident wears NON-SKID footwear (safety on the scale)
- Read at EYE LEVEL (balance beam) to avoid parallax
Common mistakes
- Using a different scale than usual (different scales give different readings)
- Reading the scale from an angle (parallax error)
- Weighing the resident in different clothes each time (jeans vs. gown = 2+ lbs)
- Not standing close enough to catch the resident if they lose balance