Hello to all of our Readers,

I hope your sustainability and resilience are stronger than ever and you have managed to stay well during this cold winter!!

In this issue, we are adding a section called The Assessment of the Month, which will educate our readers about the assessments we are using in our OT, PT and Vocational Assessment practice.

The assessment tool we chose for this month is The Sensory Profile.  Please refer to the box below and click the link to read it in full.

In addition, we are starting to include a Monthly Success Story which will be a part of every newsletter from now on. We have so many success stories we would like to share with you. Every day our therapists are helping clients to develop productive lives or to develop independence in a task that is meaningful to them. We will also share our success in the medical-legal field.

This month the success story is about our role in helping appropriate clients obtain CAT designation.

In the arbitration decision Reichert Vs. Chubb Insurance (FSCO A12-003518) the arbitrator agreed that the client is Catastrophically Impaired.

In this case the client sustained a mild Head Injury but developed psychiatric problems and personality changes that lead to CAT designation.

Galit Liffshiz & Associates (GLA) were providing OT and RSW services. Through reports from our team, we were able to describe in detail the client's physical, cognitive, emotional and functional impairments.

I completed a 2-day Situational Assessment and observed the client in his own environment and performing daily activities which he would normally do such as working on the computer, making breakfast and trying to fix a light fixture.

I then provided a report describing my observation in every hour of the 2 days and describing the functional impairments in detail.

My task was to connect my observation with the understanding of chapter 14 in the AMA guides and to rate the client on the 4 domains (ADL, Concentration, Socialization and Adaptation to Work). This provided material contribution and assisted in my court appearance.

The arbitrator said:
"The descriptions of Mr. Reichert's attempts to be productive and his ability to cope with a basic daily schedule are similar: he is unable to complete even simple administrative tasks; he has serious difficulty concentrating and applying himself; he requires cuing but still cannot complete tasks; what he accomplishes is of poor quality; he has poor short term memory; he cannot organize his thoughts; he cannot accomplish more complex tasks and many simple tasks as well. Further, Mr. Reichert has been unable to work and his prognosis for work in the future is poor at best. The preponderance of the evidence supports the notion that Mr. Reichert has a marked impairment in his ability to adapt appropriately in a work or work-like setting with many assessors finding that he is unable to work at any job much less on the level he performed in the past."

Needless to say the arbitrator agreed that the client's impairments were marked.

At Galit Liffshiz and Associates, we constantly review case law and invest time learning how to assess and document clients' function so that our reports will be the best material contribution to your files.

I feel this is something that can benefit both you and your clients.  Through our rehab team reports and a situational assessment we can help you achieve CAT designation on these and other types of files. 

Best Regards,

Galit Liffshiz, MA OT Reg.(Ont.)
Expertise and Experience in Life Care Planning 
Designated Capacity Assessor
President of GLA