Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS)

Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS)

• Evaluates an individual's ability to function with basic life skills
• Assesses self-care, health, money management, transportation, telephone, work, and leisure skills
• Aims to recommend appropriate living situations for client independence
• Goal is integrating clients into their environment
• Originally for short-term inpatient psychiatric patients
• Also used in acute care, geriatrics, and cognitive disabilities
• Standardized evaluation with scoring and directions provided

Self-Care

• Appearance is evaluated for independence (no more than one issue) or assistance (at least two issues).
• Issues like dirty hair, ragged clothing, unpleasant body odor, and obvious dental decay are considered.
• Frequency of self-care activities is assessed based on minimum standards (shower/bathe weekly, wash face daily, etc.).

Safety and Health

• Includes awareness of household dangers (photographs)
• Identifying appropriate actions during sickness and accidents
• Knowledge of emergency numbers and locations of medical/dental facilities

Money Management

• Involves using money in purchasing, obtaining income, budgeting, and handling bills
• Includes use of banking forms and payment of bills

Transportation and Telephone

• Evaluates mobility within the community, transit knowledge, and phone use
• Assesses use of phone book and telephone as well

Work and Leisure

• Assesses plans for future employment
• Evaluates involvement in leisure activities and frequency of these

Sample Score Sheet

• Provides a template for evaluating a specific client's needs in various areas
• Highlights whether a client requires assistance or is independent in their responses.