Functional Abilities Evaluations | Lifemoves

Determine Employee's Readiness to Return to Work

Functional abilities evaluations (FAE) determine an employee’s readiness to return to work and at what capacity. Lifemoves Health and Rehabilitation has partnered with Dynamic Ergonomics to provide disability case managers with this service in North Vancouver. The purpose of these assessments is to determine a person’s ability to successfully return to work. These assessments can be performed in our clinic or off-site at the employee’s home or workplace. They are often completed as part of a more comprehensive return to work plan that includes private occupational rehabilitation.

Dynamic Erogonimcs

They have been in the Functional Abilities Evaluations (FAE) marketplace for over 20 years. They have performed FAEs for all levels of customers ranging from private individuals to government agencies. They are familiar with all assessment tools on the marketplace and have utilized several of them to conduct FAEs.

Dynamic Ergonomics produces high quality, court defensive, objective-based FAEs. Whether it is a short task-specific FAE or a 2-Day job specific FAE, you can rest assure that the assessment will be conducted by qualified, fully trained, and just as importantly fully supported by industry experts before, during and following the FAE.

Their assessors are meticulously detailed. They ensure that the objective data that needs to be gathered gets gathered and interpreted in the most accurate and defensible manner. Lifemoves partnered with Dynamic Ergonomics because performing functional abilities evaluations is all they do. We value their expertise in this area.

Types of Functional Abilities Evalautions

1 Day

A one day FAE is a comprehensive assessment that evaluates an individual’s ability to perform activities/tasks. These are broken down into various functional domains that are tested/measured, which can then be compared to a known requirement (e.g. a job demand). This makes the process of determining an individual’s ability to perform activity objective. The assessment outlines both the individual’s abilities as well as their limitations.

2 Day

A two-day FAE is the same as a one day FAE but the test is repeated. The purpose of this type of assessment is that it allows objective information to be obtained regarding an individual’s ability to perform work on consecutively days of activity. It allows the assessor to arrive at an objective determination if the individual’s functional abilities will deteriorate with sustained work days.

For standard assessments, the standard protocol is repeated with comparison between each function to determine if specific areas of functional have changed.

Assessment Includes

  • Intake Interview
  • Disability Questionnaires
  • Strength Testing
  • Positional Tolerances
  • Work Simulation
  • Cardiovascular Fitness
  • Comprehensive Report with Key Findings

Custom Assessments

Utilize the standard protocol but adopt a work tolerance or work simulation component into the assessment.

The length of each assessment varies depending on the nature of the assessment. These assessments are designed to be tailored to the specific needs to address the issue of the referring party as such the actual test protocol varies based on the referral.

Metricks - The Canadian Choice for Functional Assessments

Under the guidance of subject-area expert Kevin Cairns, Metriks designed and manufactured an innovative tool and protocol to perform Functional Assessments. The Metriks RAM software is the next leap forward: the culmination of a vision to create flexible technology that responds to changing demands. The Metriks system is a made in Canada system that is based on industry standard research. The Metriks protocol was validated by Canadian government funded research at Sheridan College.

Currently, no standards exist with the respect to what tests need to be included in a functional protocol or who can perform Functional Assessments. Nor is there a regulatory body that oversees system development, training and certification process. Instead, there are a number of industry accepted systems. The Metriks software combines universal operating system compatibility, access to the latest version of an online program with the practicality of an offline version.

Metriks Used at Canadian Universities and Colleges

Dr. Tony Bauer at Lakehead University uses the Metriks system as part of the Undergraduate Ergonomic lab work.

Dr. Mardy Frazer at Sheridan College uses the Metriks system as part of the Bachelor of Applied Heath Sciences courses. In 2012-2013, the Federal Economic Development Agency’s Applied Research and commercialization Initiative support 4 research projects using the Metriks system and Metriks Education as an industry partner.

At the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, the Metriks system is used as part of the undergraduate program, the post graduate Rehabilitation Fellowship program, and the Independent Chiropractic Evaluation program.

At York University as part of their continuing education program.

Mike Walker at University Guelph-Humber uses the Metriks system as part of the Functional Ability Evaluation course