Resident Assessment: Identifying Needs in Long-Term Care
A resident assessment helps activity professionals understand each person's interests, abilities, preferences, and support needs. The information gathered is used to develop meaningful activity programs and contribute to individualized care plans.
While assessment is a collaborative process involving the entire care team, activity professionals play an important role in discovering what brings purpose, enjoyment, and meaning to a resident's daily life.
The goal is to build a complete picture of the resident so activities can be tailored to their interests, abilities, and preferences.
Related: Client Assessment: The Foundation of Person-Centered Care
Where to Start
Information is typically gathered from several sources, including:
- The resident
- Family members or close friends
- The social profile or admission information
- Nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, and other members of the care team
- Your own observations during daily interactions
No single source provides a complete picture. Bringing together information from multiple sources helps you better understand the resident as an individual.
Get to know the resident
Building rapport takes time. Through conversations and observation, you can learn about the person's interests, routines, personality, and preferences.
Consider questions such as:
- What hobbies or leisure activities have they enjoyed?
- What music, television programs, or books do they like?
- Do they prefer social activities or quiet time?
- What gives them a sense of purpose or accomplishment?
- Are there activities they no longer enjoy?
Speaking with Family
Family members can often provide valuable information, especially if the resident has difficulty communicating or remembering past experiences.
Ask about:
- Former occupations and hobbies
- Daily routines and lifelong interests
- Cultural and religious traditions
- Favorite music, foods, or celebrations
- Activities that have been meaningful throughout their life
Observing the Resident
Observation often reveals information that may not emerge through conversation alone.
Notice how the resident:
- Communicates with others
- Responds to different activities
- Interacts in groups
- Moves around their environment
- Expresses enjoyment, frustration, or anxiety
These observations can help you adapt activities to better meet the resident's needs.
Areas to Assess
Consider how each of the following may affect participation:
- Physical abilities, including mobility, balance, strength, and dexterity
- Cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, and problem-solving
- Vision, hearing, and communication
- Emotional wellbeing
- Social preferences
- Cultural and spiritual beliefs
- Significant life experiences
- Current interests and personal goals
Understanding both strengths and support needs allows you to offer activities that are meaningful, enjoyable, and achievable.
Putting the Information into Practice
Once you've gathered the information, use it to:
- Match residents with suitable activities
- Adapt activities to accommodate individual abilities
- Identify opportunities for one-to-one engagement
- Support the development of individualized care plans
- Review and adjust activities as the resident's needs and interests change
A thoughtful assessment helps activity professionals create meaningful experiences that support engagement, independence, and quality of life.
Related: How to Write a Care Plan
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The Role of Assessment in Person-Centered Care
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Bianca's assessment of ACFI's effect on Lifestyle is accurate. As it is secondary to all nursing requirements, hard to assess & 1:1 care is not a financially viable option.
I am doing Cert IV in Kinesiology and this requires information on Complex Client Needs. This website is most helpful. Thanks!
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Whilst we have comprehensive tools to evaluate and to asses Residents needs in aged care, the question has to be posed can we meet these needs? We collate, observe, document and communicate to gather information about residents’ likes, dislikes, capabilities, deficits, diagnosis, and personal history and personality characteristics. Hancock, G. A. et al (2006) conducted a study where the goal was to quantify the unmet needs of residents with dementia in an aged care setting and the characteristics linked with high levels of needs. Needs were identified using the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly (CANE). The study concluded that whilst physical and environmental needs were satisfactorily addressed, social & emotional needs were consistently unmet. Due to these unmet needs there were clear escalations of psychological disorders.
Meaney, A. M et al (2005) conducted a similar study in a community setting and concluded that similar outcomes were experienced in community dwelling Elderly with dementia, the study was able to identify, using The Care Needs Assessment Pack for Dementia (CareNap-D) that there were also elevated levels of unmet need. It was concluded that these elevated levels impacted on behaviour and mental state (84% of those experienced agitation) and on social interaction and access.
We hear the term person centered care constantly bandied around in our industry. According to Dawn Brooker (2003) this term is predominantly used in the context of outcomes for residents with dementia. What lies behind this terminology in terms of practical application, may be disputed as being unrealistic and at best marginally achievable to address these key issues of unmet social emotional needs in aged care.
With the introduction of ACFI (Aged Care Funding Instrument) Diversional therapy was removed as a means of generating funding, as ACFI is designed to ‘focus on the core measurable needs and to allocate funding to services on this basis’. Though ACFI also states that according to the Accreditation Standards under the Aged care Act (1997) the Aged care standards and accreditation agency will continue to monitor aged care homes to ensure that the expected outcomes under the Accreditation standards are met. In that case why was there not more importance placed on including Diversional Therapy as part of a multi disciplinary approach to funding in Aged care? As it stands at this time our departments (Diversional Therapy) do not generate funding and are therefore not regarded as a priority when funding is provided for staffing levels. These key issues highlights the importance of developing a funding tool on the basis of the actual needs identified.
Online resources:
The ACFI and Allied health professionals.
Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE)
References:
Hancock, G. A., Woods, B., Challis, D. and Orrell, M. (2006), ‘The needs of older people with dementia in residential care’. Int. J. Geriat. Psychiatry, 21: 43–49. doi: 10.1002/gps.1421 viewed: 4th of May 2012
Meaney, A. M., Croke, M. and Kirby, M. (2005), Needs assessment in dementia. Int. J. Geriat. Psychiatry, 20: 322–329. doi: 10.1002/gps.1284 viewed: 4th of May 2012
Dawn Brooker (2003). What is person-centred care in dementia?. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 13 , pp 215-222 doi:10.1017/S095925980400108X viewed: 4th of May 2012rn - Hancock, G. A., Woods, B., Challis, D. and Orrell, M. (2006), ‘The needs of older people with dementia in residential care’. Int. J. Geriat. Psychiatry, 21: 43–49. doi: 10.1002/gps.1421 viewed: 4th of May 2012rnrnMeaney, A. M., Croke, M. and Kirby, M. (2005), Needs assessment in dementia. Int. J. Geriat. Psychiatry, 20: 322–329. doi: 10.1002/gps.1284 viewed: 4th of May 2012rnrnrnDawn Brooker (2003). What is person-centred care in dementia?. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 13 , pp 215-222 doi:10.1017/S095925980400108X viewed: 4th of May 2012rn
Hi Bianca, Thank you for the feedback. The term 'person centered' tends to be overused without the support needed to carry it out. This is especially true for leisure staff who try their hardest to care for the spiritual and emotional needs of the residents as well as the social needs. Residents considered 'high care' for instance, unable to follow or participate in the 'Monthly Leisure Program' fair poorly, despite extensive assessment of needs. Their needs require 'one-on-one' attention from staff which is often not catered for by management.
I am doing Cert. 3 in Aged Care and have found helpful tips from your site. Thank you very much.
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Karen Moren :)
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Am doing cert III aged care and have found the information on your page very useful THANKS!!!
Thanks for the info on assessment on clients needs when entering an aged care facility. Would you have a template of an assessment form I could use. Thanks
I am so pleased to have found your website and the information here. Thank you.