Background
The Assisted Living assessment system, or AL, was developed to provide a common language for assessing the health status, care needs, and preferences of frail elderly and disabled individuals living various residential long-term care settings. Assisted living is the fastest growing segment of senior housing in Europe and the US. The term "assisted living" is an umbrella term that covers a variety of settings that differ in size, accommodations, services, and population served and is known by some 20 different names in the US alone.
Target Population
Adults living in a variety of residential long-term care settings.
Adoption and Use
The first version of the AL was tested in residences in the state of North Carolina. Version 2.0 was tested in Maine residential care settings. The interRAI AL version has been revised to be consistent with the other interRAI family of instruments and is currently in use on a pilot basis.
Domains
- Identification Information
- Intake and Initial History
- Psychosocial Well-Being
- Mood
- Activities
- Cognition
- Communication and Vision
- Functional Status
- Continence
- Disease Diagnoses
- Health Condition
- Behavior Symptoms
- Skin Condition
- Nutrional Status
- Medications
- Treatment and Procedures
- Responsibility and Directives
- Discharge
- Assessment Information
Applications
In addition to the usual focus on functional, cognitive, and health issues, the AL is designed to collect additional information on the individual's preferences, quality of life and psycho-social well-being. A set of 27 new CAPs (Client Assessment Protocols) are available. CAPs are designed to identify the need for additional evaluation, detect need for an outside referral, and provide information on best practices. Issue areas cover fall prevention, urinary incontinence, chronic conditions/monitoring, mental health, behaviors, nutrition, health promotion & wellness, activities, cognitive function, maintenance of physical functioning, medication management and monitoring, and psychosocial well-being.
For further information, please contact:
Catherine Hawes
Regents Professor
Department of Health Policy and Management
School of Rural Public Health
Texas A&M Health Science Center
1266 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843-1266 USA
Email: hawes@srph.tamhsc.edu
OR
Charles D. Phillips
Professor
Department of Health Policy and Management
School of Rural Public Health
Texas A&M Health Science Center
1266 TAMU
College Station, Texas, USA 77843-1266
Email: phillipscd@srph.tamhsc.edu
