SLUMS Assessment Simulation Report

 

    As part of the Neuro Aspects course I'm taking in OT school, I participated in a clinical simulation encounter today during which I administered a cognitive screening to a person with a recent history of stroke. This assessment is called the St. Louis University Mental Status exam (SLUMS). The purpose of this exam is to assess a person’s cognitive state and be used as a screening tool over periods of time. Cognition can be described as a mental process that requires input from one’s thoughts, senses, and experiences (“What is”, 2015). Occupational therapists’ role when assisting clients with cognitive deficits is to give them the best opportunity to do their occupations by playing to their strengths, considering assistive devices, and/or modifying their environment so it is safe and accessible.

    The actor client, Harper Henshaw, got a score of 21 on the SLUMS. This score indicates a “mild cognitive impairment” for clients with a high school education. People who are in this stage experience memory loss and problems with judgement. In a home setting, they will most likely have trouble remembering tasks and events but will be able to live functionally overall. In my explanation of OT to the client, I feel as though I did a decent job of making it understandable and pointing out that we can help them work to their strengths and/or modify their environment. I adapted the “elevator speech” by including occupations that the client might like to do like completing puzzles and explained that we help with things they want and need to do.

    I feel like I did a good job of keeping the experience subjective rather than telling the client she did great or saying “perfect” which can be misleading. I let her know that it wasn’t a pass or fail test and it would be a tool used to see where she is with her memory. If given the opportunity for a re-do, I would use hand sanitizer when I walked in the door and think of some better topics for small talk once the assessment was over. My big take-away of this whole process was that sometimes the encounter will not go as expected or the client may think of a question differently than we intend but we should always be adaptable and document anything worth noting. Going forward, I will use what I learned by applying it to future sessions and especially fieldwork opportunities so I can learn even more before I become an official Occupational Therapist!

References

What is cognition? (2015, August 19) Cambridge Cognition. https://cambridgecognition.com/what-is-cognition/#:~:text=Cognition%20is%20defined%20as%20'the,used%20to%20guide%20your%20behavior.