Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS)
What It Measures
The KELS was built to answer a specific question: can this person safely live on their own, and if not, what kind of setting would work? It is used most often when someone is about to leave a hospital or psychiatric unit and the team has to make a recommendation.
Seventeen items span five areas: self-care, safety and health, money management, community mobility and telephone use, and work and leisure participation. The format mixes structured interview with practical tasks — the person is asked what they know and then asked to do it, so a gap between knowing and doing shows up. Each item scores independent or needs assistance, with the examiner reading from a script.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: Pricing is tiered: $112 for AOTA members, $161 for non-members. Reproduction requires publisher permission.
Learn More: The KELS was originally designed for short-term inpatient psychiatry and has since been applied in geriatrics, acute care, and brain injury.
