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Research Article  |   March 1999
Discharge Planning in Mental Health: The Relevance of Cognition to Community Living
Edward P. McAnanama; Marci L. Rogosin-Rose; Elizabeth A. Scott; Russell T. Joffe; Merrijoy Kelner
Author Affiliations
  • Edward P. McAnanama, BMR(OT), OT(C), OTR, CVE, is Occupational Therapist, Ambulatory Services, General Psychiatry Program, Clarke Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8. He is also Master’s Student, and Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • Marci L. Rogosin-Rose, OT(C), OTR, is Occupational Therapist, Inpatient Services, General Psychiatry Program, Clarke Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She is also Instructor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Elizabeth A. Scott, MSc, OT(C), is Administrative Director, Society, Women, and Health Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She is also Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is also former Vice-President of Professional Services and Head, Department of Occupational Therapy, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
  • Russell T. Joffe, MD, FRCP(C), is Dean of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • Merrijoy Kelner, PhD, is Professor Emerita, Institute for Human Development, Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Article Information
Mental Health / Mental Health
Research Article   |   March 1999
Discharge Planning in Mental Health: The Relevance of Cognition to Community Living
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 1999, Vol. 53, 129-135. doi:10.5014/ajot.53.2.129
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 1999, Vol. 53, 129-135. doi:10.5014/ajot.53.2.129
Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive disability and performance of daily living skills and stability of cognitive level after discharge in a sample of adult psychiatric inpatients (N = 40).

Method. The Allen Cognitive Level Test-90 (ACL-90) was administered at time of discharge (Time I) and at 21 days to 28 days after discharge (Time II). The self-report version of the revised Routine Task Inventory (RTI-2) was also administered at Time II.

Results. No significant correlation was found between the ACL-90 at Time I and the RTI-2 scores; however, significant correlations were found between the ACL-90 scores at both times and between the ACL-90 score at Time II and the RTI-2 scores.

Conclusion. The findings suggest that cognitive level remains relatively stable over a 1-month period in the postacute stage of a psychiatric illness. Cognitive level and performance of daily living skills are related, but the relationship is sensitive to time. Implications for occupational therapy assessment include recognizing the temporal constraints of functional assessments and refining instruments to be more sensitive to performance of familiar tasks, taking into consideration client adaptation to exigencies.