Which geriatric scales does Resthome offer beyond Katz?

Five standard scales on the resident’s « Evaluation Tools » tab: MMSE (cognition), Braden (pressure ulcer risk), MNA (nutritional status), OHAT (oral health) and Tinetti (balance, gait and fall risk).

Where do you enter a geriatric assessment in Resthome?

From the resident’s record, « Evaluation Tools » tab, or via the Healthcare > Evaluation Tools menu. Each scale has its own list and its own guided form.

Who can validate an assessment?

Any user can enter and confirm it, but only the head nurse or the physician can validate it. A validated assessment is locked: you have to reset it to draft to correct it.

How do you interpret a low Braden score?

On the Braden scale, the lower the score, the higher the pressure ulcer risk: 19-23 no risk, 15-18 mild risk, 13-14 moderate, 10-12 high, 9 or less very high.

How do you reassess a resident?

Enter a new assessment on a new date (one per day and per scale); the full history is kept. For a periodic reassessment cycle with a due date, use the clinical registers.

Is the Morse scale (fall risk) available?

The « Evaluation Tools » tab offers Tinetti for balance and gait. The Morse scale and the falls register are found in the clinical registers of the care module.

Geriatric assessments (beyond Katz)¶

Beyond the Katz scale, Resthome brings together the main geriatric scales used in the nursing home (MR/MRS) to objectively measure cognition, pressure ulcer risk, nutritional status, oral health and fall risk. You will find them in two places:

on the resident’s record, the « Evaluation Tools » tab, where each scale shows the resident’s history and allows direct entry;
via the Healthcare > Evaluation Tools menu, which lists all the assessments in the facility, scale by scale.

Available scales¶

Scale	What it measures	Score	Meaning
MMSE	Cognitive function	/30	Higher = better
Braden	Pressure ulcer risk	/23	Lower = more at risk
MNA	Nutritional status	/14	Lower = more at risk
OHAT	Oral health	/16	Higher = more at risk
Tinetti	Balance and gait (falls)	/28	Lower = more at risk

The Katz category stays separate

The Katz scale determines the dependency category and the flat-rate fee; it has its own page and its own renewal cycle. See The Katz assessment.

MMSE — cognitive function¶

The MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination) is a standard cognitive screening test out of 30 points. You tick each successful item, spread across 7 domains:

Domain	Points
Orientation in time	5
Orientation in space	5
Registration (3 words)	3
Attention and calculation	5
Recall (3 words)	3
Language	8
Visuo-constructive praxis	1

Resthome adds up the ticked items and displays the interpretation:

Score	Interpretation
27-30	Normal
21-26	Mild cognitive impairment
11-20	Moderate cognitive impairment
0-10	Severe cognitive impairment

Braden — pressure ulcer risk¶

The Braden scale predicts pressure ulcer risk. You score 6 subscales (radio buttons):

Sensory perception (1-4)
Skin moisture (1-4)
Activity (1-4)
Mobility (1-4)
Nutrition (1-4)
Friction and shear (1-3)

The total ranges from 6 to 23. Warning: the lower the score, the higher the risk.

Score	Risk level
19-23	No risk
15-18	Mild risk
13-14	Moderate risk
10-12	High risk
9 or less	Very high risk

MNA — nutritional status¶

The MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment, short form) screens for malnutrition risk out of 14 points, from 6 questions:

Reduced food intake over the past 3 months (0-2)
Recent weight loss (0-3)
Mobility (0-2)
Acute illness / psychological stress (0 or 2)
Neuropsychological problems (0-2)
Body mass index — BMI (0-3)

Score	Nutritional status
12-14	Normal
8-11	At risk of malnutrition
0-7	Malnourished

Nutritional follow-up

Malnutrition follow-up (MNA re-scoring reminders, intake vs needs, hydration) relies on the clinical registers and the care module. See The clinical registers.

OHAT — oral health¶

The OHAT (Oral Health Assessment Tool) assesses oral health across 8 categories, scored from 0 (healthy) to 2 (needs treatment): lips, tongue, gums and tissues, saliva, natural teeth, dentures, oral cleanliness and dental pain.

The total ranges from 0 to 16. Here, the higher the score, the more concerning the situation.

Score	Oral health status
0-3	Healthy
4-8	Changes needed (refer to a dental professional)
9-16	Unhealthy (urgent referral)

« N/A » options

The Natural teeth and Dentures categories have an N/A (not applicable) option: it is excluded from the total score calculation.

Tinetti — balance, gait and fall risk¶

The Tinetti scale (POMA) assesses balance and gait to estimate fall risk:

Balance section: 9 items, /16
Gait section: /12
Total: /28

Resthome calculates the two subscores and the total.

Score	Fall risk
25-28	Low risk
19-24	Moderate risk
Under 19	High risk

Tinetti, Morse and the falls register

The « Evaluation Tools » tab offers Tinetti. For the Morse scale and the falls register (incidents, preventive measures, reassessments), use the clinical registers.

Entering and validating an assessment¶

All scales follow the same flow:

Open the scale: from the resident’s « Evaluation Tools » tab, or via Healthcare > Evaluation Tools.
New: the resident, the date (today by default) and the assessor (you) are pre-filled. Score the items.
Confirm: the assessment moves from Draft to Confirmed.
Validate: the head nurse or the physician validates; the assessment moves to Validated, with the validator and the validation date recorded.

The status bar follows these steps: Draft → Confirmed → Validated (plus Cancelled). The available buttons are Confirm, Validate, Cancel and Reset to draft.

Locking and retention

A validated assessment is locked: its scores can no longer be edited. To correct it, click Reset to draft (restricted to the head nurse). Validated assessments cannot be deleted: health data must be retained (GDPR + INAMI).

One assessment per day

There can only be one assessment per resident, per date and per scale. The date cannot be in the future, and no assessment can be created for a deceased resident.

Follow-up and reassessment¶

The « Evaluation Tools » tab keeps the dated history of each scale: to reassess, enter a new assessment on a new date.
The Katz scale has its own renewal cycle (validity due date, reminders). See The Katz assessment.
For a structured periodic reassessment cycle (calculated due date, keep / change / stop decision, follow-up log), use the clinical registers.

Key points to remember¶

Five scales beyond Katz: MMSE, Braden, MNA, OHAT and Tinetti, on the resident’s « Evaluation Tools » tab.
Score meaning: MMSE and Tinetti, a high score = favorable situation; Braden and MNA, a low score = more at risk; OHAT, a high score = more at risk.
Common flow: Draft → Confirmed → Validated; validation is restricted to the head nurse or the physician.
Validated = locked and retained; reset to draft to correct.
One assessment per resident, per date and per scale.

Learn more¶

The Katz assessment — dependency category and flat-rate fee.
The clinical registers — falls (Morse), restraint, pain, wounds, periodic reassessments.
Care plans
Managing a resident