Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13)
Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (Saliba 2001): a 0–10 score from age, self-rated health, six functional difficulties, and five disability items; ≥ 3 = vulnerable.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Age band
- 75–84 years (1 point)
- Self-rated health
- Fair (1 point)
- Difficulty walking a quarter mile
- alot
Result: VES-13 total 3/10: vulnerable (≥ 3) — about a four-fold two-year risk of functional decline or death.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Threshold
- a score of 3 or more flags vulnerability — about a 4.2-fold two-year risk of functional decline or death; common first step of a geriatric-oncology assessment.
What you enter
- Age band
- Self-rated health
- Difficulty stooping / crouching
- Difficulty lifting ~10 lb
- Difficulty reaching above shoulder
- Difficulty writing / handling small objects
- Difficulty walking a quarter mile
- Difficulty with heavy housework
The other 5 fields
- Needs help shopping
- Needs help managing money
- Needs help walking across the room
- Needs help with light housework
- Needs help bathing / showering
How this is calculated
- Scoring
- age (75–84 = 1, ≥ 85 = 3) + fair/poor self-rated health (1) + physical function (1 per task rated "a lot"/"unable", capped at 2) + any of 5 ADL/IADL disabilities (a single 4-point block) = 0–10.
Saliba D, Elliott M, Rubenstein LZ, et al. The Vulnerable Elders Survey: a tool for identifying vulnerable older people in the community. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49(12):1691-1699. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.