Conducting a geriatric functional assessment. Specifically conduct a brief health history and use the following two tools (found in your textbook) on “clients” your instructor provides.
- Katz Activities of Daily Living
- Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form)
At the end of the geriatric functional assessment you will be asked to document your findings.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In this assignment, you will be conducting a geriatric functional assessment using the Katz Activities of Daily Living and the Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form) on “clients” provided by your instructor. This assessment will require you to conduct a brief health history and document your findings.
Answer:
To conduct the geriatric functional assessment, begin by introducing yourself to the client and explaining the purpose of the assessment. Obtain their consent to conduct the examination.
Next, conduct a brief health history to gather information about the client’s medical history, medications, allergies, and any recent hospitalizations. Ask the client about any changes in their cognitive or emotional state, and whether they have experienced any falls or injuries.
Use the Katz Activities of Daily Living tool to assess the client’s ability to perform basic activities such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring, continence, and feeding. Score each activity by indicating whether the client requires assistance, is dependent, or is independent in performing the task.
Use the Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form) to assess the client’s mood and level of depression. Ask the client to respond to 15 questions concerning their feelings, moods, and activities. Assign scores to each response and calculate a total score. Score ranges from 0-4, with higher scores indicating a higher level of depression.
Document your findings in a comprehensive report. Include the client’s demographics, medical history, Katz scores, Geriatric Depression Scale score, and any other observations made during the assessment. Use this report to provide feedback to the client on their functional abilities and make recommendations for any further evaluations or interventions that may be needed.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In this assignment, a geriatric functional assessment using the Katz Activities of Daily Living and the Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form) will be conducted on clients provided by the instructor. The assessment will require conducting a brief health history and documenting the findings.
Answer:
To conduct a geriatric functional assessment, the first step is to introduce oneself to the client and explain the purpose of the examination. Obtaining the client’s consent to conduct the assessment is important.
After obtaining consent, conduct a brief health history to collect information about the client’s medical history, medications, allergies, and recent hospitalizations. Ask about any changes in the client’s cognitive or emotional state and whether they have experienced any falls or injuries.
The Katz Activities of Daily Living tool will be used to assess the client’s ability to perform activities such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring, continence, and feeding. Each activity should be scored by indicating whether the client requires assistance, is dependent, or is independent in performing the task.
The Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form) will be used to evaluate the client’s mood and level of depression. Ask the client to answer 15 questions concerning their emotions, moods, and activities. Assign scores to each response and calculate the total score. The score ranges from 0-4, with higher scores indicating a higher level of depression.
Document the findings of the assessment in a comprehensive report. The report should include the client’s demographics, medical history, Katz scores, Geriatric Depression Scale score, and any other observations made during the assessment. Use this report to give the client feedback on their functional abilities and make recommendations for any further evaluations or interventions that may be necessary.
