Assessment of Alzheimer’s Dementia – FAST Scale
Seek Additional Help When You Start To See A Decline.
Lenity Light Hospice of Texas (LLH of TX) remains focused to improve care and treatment for our beloved patients. During this difficult and vulnerable time, we strive to be the foundation for the needs of our patients and their families. Hospice is just one of many services available to you and your loved one. Start somewhere and make a call, get information. You are not alone.
Activities of Daily Living
One of the ways to assess need for additional assistance for a patient is by looking at their Activities of Daily Living. What Activities are they able to perform that are absolutely necessary to live?
As patients get weaker or more confused, they will need increasing assistance with activities of daily living. The 6 listed are the most basic. Patients who require assistance with ADLs, especially when they need assistance with 2-3 ADLs are starting to show signs of decline. It is at this stage that if proper intervention is provided with proper support services that patients can respond well. Decline can be slowed (even while on hospice – as hospice is the one providing these services) to allow patients to live longer, live better as well as giving caregivers assistance in caring for the patient.
Activities of Daily Living:
Functional Assessment Scale Tool (FAST Score):
| Stage: | Level of Functioning: |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | No deficits noted – No difficulty noted subjectively or objectively |
| Stage 2 | Complaints of forgetting. Forgets locations, objects. Subjective work/activity difficulties. |
| Stage 3 | Decreased job functioning noted by coworkers. Difficulty getting to new locations. Decreased Organizational Activity |
| Stage 4 | Decreased Ability to perform complex tasks (planning dinner parties, handling personal finances, forgetting events, forgetting to pay bills, etc.). |
| Stage 5 | Requires assistance in choosing proper clothing for day/season. May wear same clothes over and over. Needs supervision with tasks. Needs redirection. |
| Stage 6 | Needing more assistance with needs. A – Improperly putting on clothes without assistance B – Unable to bathe properly (can’t choose water temperature, use of soap, etc.) C – Inability to handle mechanics of toileting (forgets to flush/wipe, forgets to dispose of tissue, etc.) D – Urinary Incontinence E – Fecal Incontinence |
| Stage 7 | A – Loses ability to speak (Speaks less than 6 words, does not answer questions, no longer able to converse. Speech limited to same repeated words or set phrases. B – Speech limited to one word. No longer speaking. If tries to speak, unintelligible. C – Loses ability to walk. Cannot walk without personal assistance. D – Loses truncal support. Patient loses ability to sit in a chair and support themselves. They fall over in a chair or need to be propped up by pillows. E – Loses the ability to smile. F – Loses ability to hold up head. |
| Death | Death |