ABSTRACT

This chapter is a comprehensive reference manual providing information on the Assessment of Living Skills and Resource (ALSAR), which is a clinician rating scale, developed for older people living in the community. The ALSAR focuses on instrumental activities of daily living and aims to assess maintenance of independent life in the community, identify needs, assess risk, prioritize treatment goals, and promote interdisciplinary problem solving. A brief history of the instrument's development is provided, along with a description of item content and administration/scoring procedures. Psychometric properties are reviewed and a critical commentary is provided. Key references are cited and in most cases the actual scale is included, giving the reader easy access to the instrument.