Evaluating money management skills following brain injury using the assessment of functional monetary skills

Using money, totalling currencies, paying bills, writing cheques, or making purchases are daily occurrences. The various cognitive sequelae of brain injury (e. g. attention, language, executive functions) often disrupt an individual's money management skills. This paper describes the development and characteristics of a new instrument, the Assessment of Functional Monetary Skills (AFMS), designed to evaluate practical and functional money management skills in individuals with brain injury. The advantages of the AFMS compared to other similar instruments are also discussed. In addition, three case illustrations of individuals with brain injury are provided which describe both the quantitative and qualitative information that result from administrating the AFMS, and how such information is valuable in rehabilitating money management skills.