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Do you rely solely on pen-and-paper screening tools like the MoCA to assess your clients' cognition? Discover why observing real-life activities is crucial, and learn a step-by-step process for conducting effective non-standardised functional cognitive assessments.

Episode Summary: In this episode of the How to Be a Better OT podcast, host Clare Batkin dives into non-standardised functional cognitive assessments. Clare explains why observing a client completing a functional task, like making a cup of tea or going to the hospital newsagent with a specific goal in mind, often provides better insights into their real-world safety and independence than standard screening tools. She walks you through a step-by-step process covering how to choose the "just right" activity, set up the environment, run the assessment using the pause, prompt, praise framework, and effectively document your findings to support clear and safe recommendations.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Why" Over Pen-and-Paper: Learn why functional assessments reveal the true interaction of cognitive, physical, and sensory deficits that screening tools might miss.
• Choosing the "Just Right" Task: How to select an activity that is relevant, safe, and challenging enough to reveal difficulties without overwhelming the client, complete with case studies (like Mrs. Smith's showering assessment and Jon's meal prep).
• Strategic Preparation: Discover how to modify tasks for physical limitations, manage environment logistics, and even embed memory tests into your pre-assessment setup.
• The Pause, Prompt, Praise Framework: A breakdown of how to run the assessment by holding back to allow problem-solving, delivering graded prompts (from general to explicit), and offering the right kind of praise to keep clients engaged.
• Documentation and Recommendations: Tips for using data collection templates, choosing between step-by-step or subheading documentation styles, and translating your clinical findings into actionable recommendations for NDIS planners and hospital discharge teams.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Deep Dive: Watch the in-depth on-demand webinar on functional cognitive assessments, plus get documentation examples and tutorials on self-care and standardised cognitive assessments by joining the Connector Membership.
• Advanced Learning: Access specific recordings on how to conduct and write recommendations for meal preparation assessments, including how to overlap assessments with capacity-building therapy, by joining the Alliance Membership.

If you found this step-by-step guide to functional cognitive assessments helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow OT! Be sure to tune in next time when we will be talking about how to effectively address pressure injury risks, from identifying risks to making practical recommendations.  

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