EVALUATION OF DAILY LIVING TASKS - THE HOME CARE ADVANTAGE

Occupational therapists working in home care have an advantage over th ose working in other settings because they can observe the influence o f the naturalistic context on task performance. However, to use this a dvantage, therapists working in home care must use an evaluation appro ach that enables them to capture the client-task-context transaction. In this article, we discuss the ability of four ''evaluation approache s''-norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, dynamic, informal-to provid e information about the client-task-context transaction that therapist s need in order to plan effective intervention. The potential of each approach for identifying clients' performance problems, suggesting eti ologies, determining rehabilitation potential, and guiding interventio n is analyzed, and the appropriateness of each approach for applicatio n in the home is appraised This analysis highlights the utility of com bining the criterion-referenced and dynamic assessment approaches for use in home care. A sequential process for integrating these two appro aches is provided, and the proposed outcomes to be obtained from this process are identified.