Getting started with the care assessment
Xperience Care online care assessment tool is designed to provide an indication of the level of care and support you or your family member(s) might need, based on some simple questions. The assessment tool will guide you through 6 short stages to help determine the level of dependency and provide some useful next steps in exploring care options.
The care assessment gives you a recommendation based on:
Physical function
How well you can manage physical activities such as moving around the house, walking up and down stairs and overall mobility.Mental status
Memory, orientation and communication as well as general behaviour, cooperation and acceptance of support.Personal care & outlook
How well you are able to manage personal care, hygiene and medication, as well as level of social activity.Before we start, who are you assessing for care and support?
- Myself – Assess the care needs for yourself
- Someone else – Assess the care needs for a loved one
How well do they manage eating and drinking?
- Eats without assistance or prompting with or without adpated utensils
- Eats with prompting and or encouragement or needs food to be modified e.g. cut into small pieces or pureed
- Requires constant supervision and some assistance
- Requires complete assistance to east/is at risk of choking
How is their mobility?
- Fully Mobile, including ascending and descending stairs
- Mobilises independently with the use of mobility aids/low falls risk
- Moderate falls risk mobilises with encouragement or supervision or assistance from one person
- Requires assistance from more than one person or the use of a hoist to transfer or is confined to bed
What about their orientation?
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- Fully orientated in time/place/surroundings/people
- Occasionally disorientated or orientated in a familiar environment or with familiar people only
- Frequently disorientated, tends to wander
- Completely disorientated at risk of getting lost
How well can they communicate?
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- Good communication, able to hold a conversation and remembers information
- Able to communicate needs, remembers some information and responds appropriately
- Can sometimes communicate needs but cannot hold a coherent conversation or unable to communicate verbally but uses some non-verbal communication e.g. by nodding or shaking head
- Non-communicative/withdrawn
- Can sometimes communicate needs but cannot hold a coherent conversation or unable to communicate verbally but uses some non-verbal communication e.g. by nodding or shaking head
Non-communicative/withdraw
How readily do they accept support?
- Fully co-operative, actively accepts support/assistance where required
- Normally co-operative and accepts support but occasionally needs persuasion
- Regularly needs persuasion (more than once a week)
- Needs persuasion on a daily basis
How is their general behaviour?
- Able to manage own emotions
- Occasionally upset but settles easily with distraction or reassurance
- Frequently upset but will settle after a period of distraction or reassurance
- Frequently upset and difficult to settle even with distraction or reassurance
Do they need any support at night?
- None
- Occasionally 1-2 times per week
- Occasionally 3-5 times per week
- Frequently several times per night
What about their continence?
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- Fully continent
- Continent if regularly assisted to the toilet
- Frequently incontinent despite regular assistance to use the toilet
- Regularly incontinent
Do they need support with medication?
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- Self-administers without supervision
- Administered or supervised by staff, accepting of medication, co-operative
- Administered by staff, occasionally refuses medication/swallowing or choking issues
- Administered by staff, frequently refuses medication/spits medication out or attempts to secrete medication
Do they have any complex or specialist care needs?
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- Complex medication regime e.g. insulin, controlled drugs, syringe driver
- Poor tissue viability, pressure areas, skin breakdown
- Specialist interventions e.g. Colostomy, Ileostomy, Tracheostomy, Nasogastric or PEG feeds
- Clinical monitoring e.g. blood pressure, blood sugars, blood tests, urine tests
- Wound care/dressings
- Palliative care
- End of life care
