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Functional Assessments??
admin • September 14, 2019
Functional Assessments - What are they?
WHAT: Functional Assessments are a way of finding out how a person functions on a daily basis. Start by thinking of the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, what time this is, how you go getting out of bed, what you do next and then everything you do for the rest of the day. Sound broad, well it is!
WHY: A functional assessment may be requested for a number of reasons including;
- NDIS Funding - functional assessments provide planners and other support providers of a holistic view of a persons functioning in order to understand how much support/equipment a person may require
- Moving to Independent Living - functional assessments are useful during transition periods such as moving into a different accommodation or living situation
- Determining Therapy Direction - functional assessments assist to evaluate areas of functioning in order to determine what areas could be improved on
What Makes a Good Functional Assessment:
A good OT will be able to conduct an assessment that outlines in a clear and concise way how independent you are, how much support is needed, any equipment required for any and all areas of 'functioning'. A thorough Functional Assessment should cover most/all major areas of functioning such as:
- Mobility
- Transfers
- Pain
- Behavioural
- Communication
- Vision/Hearing
- Cognition
- Self-Care
- Eating/Feeding
- Sleep
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Medication and Health Management
- Social Participation
Due to the number of areas to be covered and how this varies depending on each person and their stage in life, it is important for functional assessments to be individualized to suit each persons needs. Commonly it is OT's who complete functional assessments due to their holistic perspectives and focus on individuals needs.
At Cornwall House OT we have access to a range of formal measures recognized by bodies such as the NDIS to complete functional assessments. However, in our experience we have found a combination of formal and informal measures are the most accurate way of getting an accurate overview of a persons needs and functional independence.
If you have any questions regarding Functional Assessments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
