Section E: SW Cognitive Patterns

Cognitive Skills for Daily Decision Making

Intent:

To record the person's actual performance in making everyday decisions about the tasks or activities of daily living.  These items are especially important for further assessment and care planning in that they can alert the assessor to a mismatch between a person's abilities and his or her current level of performance, as the family may inadvertently be fostering the person's dependence.

 

Definition:     

Examples of Decision-making Tasks:

 

Process:

Interview and observe the person, then consult with a family member or other caregiver.  Review the events of each day.  The inquiry should focus on whether the person is actively making decisions about how to manage tasks of daily living, and not whether the caregiver believes that the person might be capable of doing so.  

 

Remember the intent of this item is to record what the person is doing (actual performance).  When a family member takes decision-making responsibility away from the person regarding tasks of everyday living, or the person otherwise chooses not to participate in decision-making (whatever his or her level of capability may be), the person should be considered as having impaired performance in decision-making.

 

Coding:

Enter the most correct response.