Abstract
Self-assessment of support needs is a relatively new and under-researched phenomenon in domiciliary aged care. This article outlines the results of a comparative study focusing on whether a self-assessment approach assists clients to identify support needs and the degree to which self-assessed needs differ from an assessment conducted by community care professionals. A total of 48 older people and their case managers completed a needs assessment tool. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were used to ascertain older people’s views and preferences regarding the self-assessment process. The study suggests that while a co-assessment approach as outlined in this article has the potential to assist older people to gain a better understanding of their care needs as well as the assessment process and its ramifications, client self-assessment should be seen as part of a co-assessment process involving care professionals. Such a co-assessment process allows older people to gain a better understanding of their support needs and the wider community aged care context. The article suggests that a co-assessment process involving both clients and care professionals contains features that have the capacity to enhance domiciliary aged care.
Highlights
Client self-assessment of support needs is a relatively novel phenomenon in domiciliary aged care (Abendstern, Hughes, Clarkson, Tucker, & Challis, 2011; Challis et al, 2009; Griffiths, Ullman, & Harris, 2005)
This article presents the findings of a pilot study that investigated (a) whether such a self-assessment approach assists older people to identify their care needs, (b) the degree to which self-assessed needs differ from an assessment conducted by professionals, and (c) whether the assistance of care professionals during the self-assessment process affects outcome scores
The article suggests that while a co-assessment approach has the potential to assist older people to gain a better understanding of their health and social care needs as well as the assessment process and its wider ramifications, client self-assessment should be seen as part of a co-assessment process involving both clients and care professionals
Summary
Client self-assessment of support needs is a relatively novel phenomenon in domiciliary aged care (Abendstern, Hughes, Clarkson, Tucker, & Challis, 2011; Challis et al, 2009; Griffiths, Ullman, & Harris, 2005). This article presents the findings of a pilot study that investigated (a) whether such a self-assessment approach assists older people to identify their care needs, (b) the degree to which self-assessed needs differ from an assessment conducted by professionals, and (c) whether the assistance of care professionals during the self-assessment process affects outcome scores. The article suggests that while a co-assessment approach has the potential to assist older people to gain a better understanding of their health and social care needs as well as the assessment process and its wider ramifications, client self-assessment should be seen as part of a co-assessment process involving both clients and care professionals. The article outlines a range of issues that need to be systematically addressed by researchers to gain a better understanding of the utility of co-assessment within a domiciliary aged care context
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