Occupational Therapy Assessement

1953 Words8 Pages
In the first half of this essay I will discuss the information gathering process that takes place during a domestic activity of daily living assessment (DADL) in the clients own home. Some of the methods and clinical tools specific to DADL will be considered in relation to appropriateness, reliability and validity. The second part of the essay will focus on what purposes the gathered information serves in the problem solving process of occupational therapy. A DADL assessment, which may include risk assessment, will identify the individual’s assets and deficits in their skills and abilities in performing activities such as shopping, cooking, home management, budgeting, and use of community resources. A broad range of skills is required to carry out these activities so the therapist will look at all aspects of individual functioning including emotional, physical, cognitive, environmental and social. Assessment as a specific tool for gathering information “can collect data on virtually all aspects of human life and performances” (Bumphrey 1995). The various methods and approaches combined with a growing array of assessment tools can be confusing for the therapist. Assessment levels range from simple to complex and can be informal, unstructured, formal, or standardised. Individuals are complex and it follows that assessments will be too (Hagedorn 2000). No one assessment that is better than another and choice will depend on the particular approach, the aims of the assessment, and the physical practicalities (time, equipment, budget, practice area) of carrying it out. (Holm & Rogers 1989 cited in Hagedorn 2000). The stage of assessment in the intervention process, the clients’ level of ability and nature of their difficulty will also influence choice of assessment. Assessments can be used simultaneously but methods are not necessarily equivalent and do
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