This book offers a conceptual model for understanding the nature of legal competencies. The model is interpreted to assist mental health professionals in designing and performing assessments for legal competencies defined in criminal and civil law, and to guide research that will improve the practice of evaluations for legal competencies. A special feature is the book's evaluative review of specialized forensic assessment instruments for each of several legal competencies. Three-fourths of the 37 instruments reviewed in this second edition are new.
Reliable, easily administered, and objective ways of assessing the well-being of the elderly and their use of, and need for, services are rare. The author of this study provides current information on the Multidimensional Functional Assessment of Older Adults (MFAQ) -- the most widely used questionnaire of its type. This volume discusses ways in which the procedure has been used and can be used by clinicians, program evaluators and planners. The book also examines OARS (Older Americans Resources and Services Program) MFAQ and how it permits assessment of the level of functioning in five areas: social, economic, mental health, physical health and self-care. Readers will find detailed and updated information on administration, hand and computer-based scoring, as well as use of the questionnaire.
Designed to save time and assist busy practitioners, this book guides standardized assessment and documentation of a patient's condition by providing ready-to-use forms that represent the 'gold standard' of current practice.
The demands and expectations of a psychologist or neuropsychologist in a courtroom are different from those in a clinical practice. The challenges to and scrutiny of one's basic credentials, training, expertise, and conclusions can be intimidating. The contributors of Disorders of Executive Functions display obvious knowledge of these demands and challenges. Law and neuropsychology of executive functions will be increasingly intertwined as findings are applied to forensic settings and situations. In instances where executive impairment is suspected, this book will assist the forensic evaluator to demonstrate the relationship between frontal lobe impairment and criminal/civil behavior. Disorders of Executive Functions was written not only for professionals in psychology and neuropsychology, but also for plaintiff and defense attorneys and judges, rehabilitation and insurance professionals. Specific, on-point issues are addressed within each chapter with specific references and suggested readings. This source book presents realistic examples and case studies, then prepares the reader for litigation situations. Heavily illustrated, it provides numerous checklists, tables, and interview formats. Sample tests and evaluation, an extensive glossary, and an exhaustive list of core readings are also included.
ìOverall this issue is well organized and informative, a welcome addition to research literature available in the field of aging.î - Educational Gerontology: Learning Resources
Worldwide economic constraints on health care systems have highlighted the importance of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based health policy. The resulting clinical trials and health services research studies require instruments to monitor the outcomes of care and the output of thehealth system. However, the over-abundance of competing measurement scales can make choosing a measure difficult at best. Measuring Health provides in-depth reviews of over 100 of the leading health measurement tools and serves as a guide for choosing among them.LNow in its third edition, thisbook provides a critical overview of the field of health measurement, with a technical introduction and discussion of the history and future directions for the field. This latest edition updates the information on each of the measures previously reviewed, and includes a complete new chapter onanxiety measurement to accompany the one on depression. It has also added new instruments to those previously reviewed in each of the chapters in the book.LChapters cover measurements of physical disability, social health, psychological well-being, anxiety, depression, mental status testing, pain,general health status and quality of life. Each chapter presents a tabular comparison of the quality of the instruments reviewed, followed by a detailed description of each method, covering its purpose and conceptual basis, its reliability and validity and, where possible, shows a copy of theactual scale. To ensure accuracy of the information, each review has been approved by the original author of each instrument or by an acknowledged expert.
"This highly effective guide is designed to help attorneys differentiate expert testimony that is scientifically well-established from authoritative pronouncements that are mainly speculative. Building on the foundation of Jay Ziskin's classic work, this updated text blends the best of previous editions with discussion of positive scientific advances in the field to provide practical guidance for experts and lawyers alike. Major contributors in the field summarize the state of the literature in numerous key areas of the behavioral sciences and law. Working from these foundations, the text provides extensive guidance, tips, and strategies for improving the quality of legal evaluations and testimony, appraising the trustworthiness of experts' opinions, and as follows, bolstering or challenging conclusions in a compelling manner. Distinctive features of this text include detailed coverage of admissibility and Daubert challenges, with unique chapters written by an eminently qualified judge and attorney; hundreds of helpful suggestions covering such topics as forensic evaluations, discovery, and the conduct of depositions and cross-examinations; and two chapters on the use of visuals to enhance communication and persuasiveness, including a unique chapter with over 125 model visuals for cases in psychology and law. More than ever, the sixth edition is an invaluable teaching tool and resource, making it a 'must have' for mental health professionals and attorneys"--
This eminently practical book applies the task-centered model to gerontological practice across various settings (community based, hospital based, home healthcare, etc.). The book features in-depth coverage of specific client problems, such as physical or mental health, caregiving, home and personal safety, senior living, and long-term care arrangements. A series of task planners offer a menu of possible actions that can resolve or alleviate a designated problem.
