KOHLMAN EVALUATION OF LIVING SKILLS (KELS): ASSESSMENT
KELS Description, Purpose, and Assessment
The name of the test is the Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS). The KELS evaluates activities of daily living (ADL) performance areas (Hopkins & Smith, 1993).
The purpose of the KELS is to provide a non-standardized assessment of basic living skills. The KELS is not intended to be a comprehensive evaluation of basic living skills. Rather, the KELS is designed to provide a quick determination of the readiness of subjects in psychiatric environments to return to a community independent living status (Bruce & Borg, 1993).
The target population for the KELS is comprised of those individuals in psychiatric environments who are being considered for a return to independent living status within the community. Such environments may include geriatric, acute care, and rehabilitation settings. Subjects may range from the elderly through adolescents (Bruce & Borg, 1993).
The KELS involves a structured interview process with requirements for the performance of specified tasks. Performance skills and skill levels are determined within the context of age, culture, and biology (Hopkins & Smith, 1993).
The KELS assesses 18 basic living skills. These 18 skills are distributed into five evaluation categories. The categories and skills are as follows (Bruce & Borg, 1993):
Frequency of self-care activities performance
Awareness of dangerous household situations
Identification of appropriate actions for sickness and accidents
Knowledge of emergency telephone numbers
Knowledge of availability of medical and dental services
Use of money in purchasing activities
Obtaining and maintaining an income source
Obtaining and maintaining access to food stamps
Knowledge of services to provide community mobility
General knowledge of community transit system
Ability to use telephone directory and telephone
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