A Critical Review of Assessment Tools Related to Home Adaptation Issues

Abstract

For several decades now, occupational therapists have dealt with eliminating architectural barriers confronting persons using wheelchairs. The occupational therapist is usually a key resource person in the home care assessment team, but faces a penury of evaluation tools to carry out the task. Being often obliged to develop homemade instruments, the process tends to lack structure, uniformity and objectivity. A review of writings about assessment tools for occupational therapists has demonstrated the need for a specific tool dealing with the various factors involved in the home adaptation issue.

KEYWORDS:

• Home assessment
• measurement
• architectural barriers
• handicap