1 Dr. Ulf-Norbert Funke, August 27, 2018 at 7:12 p.m.:

The “Scores of Independence for Neurologic and Geriatric Rehabilitation” (SINGER) was developed as a new assessment instrument. This instrument is based on the ICF and measures 20 aspects of “independence in activities of daily living”. The characteristic feature of the SINGER is, above all, the way all items are graded in 6 steps: the gradation does not refer to the degree of disability but to the kind and amount of help required for the respective activity, i. e.: 0 = totally dependent on professional help; 1=professional contact help needed; 2=contact help by (instructed) lay persons sufficient; 3 = preparation or supervision by lay persons still needed; 4 = independent with assistive device or still slow; 5=independent without assistive device. For experienced per- sonnel in neurologic rehabilitation, these gradations are “intuitively plausible”. A manual moreover describes each grade in detail for each item so that the instrument can be used in rehabilitation facilities without extensive training. The SINGER has been tested and validated in a pilot study (n=100) and in 2 subsequent studies with large case numbers in neurologic Rehabilitation (n = 1058 and n = 700 patients after stroke in all categories of severity). Factor analyses show- ed that the instrument contains 2 dimensions which can be interpreted as “physical activities” and “activities of communication and cognition”. Each of these 2 dimensions can be split into 2 subdimensions that can be assigned to the tasks of therapeutical professions in care/Occupational Therapy, physiotherapy, logopedics, and neuropsychology. The test criteria of reliability, sensitivity, convergent validity, floor and ceiling effects as well as sensitivity to change show good to very good results. Particular emphasis can be given to the high degree of interrater reliability and the wide range of possible applications in clinical practice as well as in research.

If you are interested in learning more about SINGER or would like to apply for a free license in order to use it within your organization please don't hesitate to get in touch via [email protected] or www.singer-assessmen.de