22VAC40-73-1090: Assessment

A. Prior to his admission to a safe, secure environment, the resident shall have been assessed by an independent clinical psychologist licensed to practice in the Commonwealth or by an independent physician as having a serious cognitive impairment due to a primary psychiatric diagnosis of dementia with an inability to recognize danger or protect his own safety and welfare. The physician shall be board certified or board eligible in a specialty or subspecialty relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of serious cognitive impairments (e.g., family practice, geriatrics, internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, or psychiatry). The assessment shall be in writing and shall include the following areas:

1. Cognitive functions (e.g., orientation, comprehension, problem-solving, attention and concentration, memory, intelligence, abstract reasoning, judgment, and insight);

2. Thought and perception (e.g., process and content);

3. Mood/affect;

4. Behavior/psychomotor;

5. Speech/language; and

6. Appearance.

B. The assessment required in subsection A of this section shall be maintained in the resident's record.