Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS)

Title of Assessment

 Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS)

Author(s)

Linda Kohlman Thomson, Regi Robnett, and Regula H. Robnett

Year of Publication/Publisher

 2016

Identify Type of Assessment

• Standardized

•  Occupational-Based

•  Criterion-Referenced

•  Interview and Observation-Based

Cost & How to Access Assessment

 $99 (AOTA member) + $140 (non-member) with included material

https://myaota.aota.org/shop_aota/product/900374

Population

•  Intended to assess and evaluate elderly populations who are being discharged back into the community.

• Young and middle-aged (13 to 65+)

• Can also be used for Brain Injury Recovery, cognitive impairments, and mental health conditions

Appropriate Settings

• Nursing facilities

• inpatient

• community-based settings

• home health

• mental health settings

• outpatient settings

Purpose of Assessment & Function(s)/Area(s) Assessed

 The KELS assesses an individual’s ability to perform basic living skills assists in determining the level of independence and suggests appropriate discharge and further living situations, ADLS, IADLS, Health Management

Administration

1. Interview – Environment, Support, Paying bills.

2. Tests items in 5 areas (Self-care, safety and health, money management, transportation and phones, and work and leisure)

3.     30-45 minutes

User Qualifications

 Occupational Therapist

Materials Required

• • •   Pencil

    • Paper

    • KELS flash drive (banking, reading/writing, price tags, bank information card, sample of recorded messages, check form, money order form, utility bill and score form)

    • Reading and writing form

    • Household situation pictures

    • Telephone book

    • Cell phone

    • Notebook and laptop

    • Toothbrush

    • Deck of cards

    • Utility bill

    • Money

    • Check form.

    • Envelope

    • Landline telephone

    • KELS score form

Scoring Procedure 

• The client scores as independent or needs assistance for each item. They can score N/A on a few items.

• Use clinical reasoning to make recommendations

Psychometrics/Standardization

• Adequate interrater reliability

•  High content validity

Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment

Strengths – Considers interaction with community, interview, and observation, considerate of mental health conditions, and occupation-based.

Weaknesses – Non-responsive scoring and not well-researched

Culture can change outcomes when it comes to independence of living skills and what roles individuals play within that culture.

References

Kohlman evaluation of living skills,4th edition. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2024, from https://myaota.aota.org/shop_aota/product/900374

Stavrou, A. (2023, July 23). 8 reasons occupational therapists should use the KELS assessment. Myotspot.Com.

  https://www.myotspot.com/kels-assessment/