Feeding
Determine how well the patient can feed himself with a rating from zero to ten. If the patient has a feeding tube or if you have to feed him, give a score of zero. If the patient can feed himself and manipulate his food well enough to butter bread and cut food, then give him a score of ten. Varying degrees of ability receive a score between zero and ten.
Hygiene
Test your stroke patient's ability to clean himself, get dressed and use the bathroom. Toilet transfers are rated from zero to ten, depending upon the patient's ability to get on and off the toilet or use the urinal. He will also be rated on the ability to manipulate his clothing and use toilet paper. In addition, the patient receives another score for bladder control on a scale of zero to ten, with a zero given if your patient has a catheter or requires diapers and a ten awarded if the patient can control his bladder both day and night. Likewise, the patient is rated on other activities of daily living, like his ability to wash himself, clean his teeth, shave and comb his hair. You will also score the patient on his ability to dress himself and apply all assistive devices he may need to wear.
Mobility
Test your patient on his ability to get around his home and transfer into his bed or wheelchair. If your patient can walk by himself and get in and out of his bed safely he should receive a score of 15. If your patient is in a wheelchair but can propel himself around and uses proper safety precautions with locking his chair he receives a score of 15 also. If the patient is unable to stand and transfer to his bed without your help, his score is zero.
Interpretation
Add up the scores from all of these tasks. Your stroke patient could score from 0 to 115 points total. Use the patient's final score to predict whether he will be able to return home. If you give the patient a score of less than 40, it is unlikely he will be able to go home, because he is very dependent on others for assistance. A score of 40 to 60 is a gray area that depends upon the individual patient. If the patient achieved this score because his condition is improving, he might be a candidate to go home with assistance. A score of 60 to 80 indicates your patient will need some degree of assistance or community services to manage at home. If your patient scores above 85, there is a very good chance he will be able to function independently in a community living arrangement. A score over 100 indicates your stroke patient is ready to go home and live without personal assistance in performing his activities of daily life.
Tags: your patient, patient ability, activities daily, stroke patient, will able, , daily living