The Independent Living Skills Evaluation

Abstract

With the recent trend of occupational therapy moving into the community, a need has arisen for assessment and treatment procedures to assist chronic mentally disabled individuals to cope successfully with environmental demands. This article describes a semisupervised apartment living program which provides training in the skills necessary for independent community living. The development of an evaluation tool is described which assesses clients' levels of living skills. This evaluation tool, the Independent Living Skills Evaluation (I.L.S.E.), comprehensively evaluates skills necessary for independent community living in the areas of household maintenance, personal and health care, community resources, communication and problem solving, and vocational and personal growth. Information on the administration and use of the I.L.S.E is included. The I.L.S.E. is used as an intial assessment to provide a basis for establishing objectives and treatment methods, to measure and document client progress, to determine client readiness for discharge, and to measure program effectiveness.