Mr. Casey is an 86-year-old diabetic who requires daily insulin injections. He lives with his daughter and her husband. Which of the following questions assesses instrumental functioning?

Question

a. "Mr. Casey, how do you think your daughter feels about your refusing to take your insulin?"
b. "What do you feel has aggravated your difficulty in controlling the diabetes?"
c. "Mr. Casey, who is responsible for administering your insulin injections?"
d. "How will you deal with hypoglycemic reactions?"

Answer 1

C
Instrumental functioning includes all normal activities of daily living such a preparing meals, eating, sleeping, and attending to health needs. For families with health problems, these activities may include administration of medications.
The question "How do you think your daughter feels about your refusing to take your insulin?" explores expressive functioning, more specifically emotional communication.
The question "What do you feel has aggravated your difficulty in controlling the diabetes?" ex-plores the client's beliefs within the category of expressive functioning.
The question "How will you deal with hypoglycemic reactions?" evaluates the family's ability to problem solve; problem solving falls under the expressive functioning category.