Which statement best differentiates functional goals from maintenance goals?

Which statement best differentiates functional goals from maintenance goals?

• A. Functional goals aim to restore abilities; maintenance goals preserve abilities
• B. Functional goals focus on real-life tasks; maintenance goals preserve current abilities and slow decline
• C. Functional goals aim to preserve current abilities; maintenance goals aim to improve beyond baseline
• D. Functional goals involve only theory; maintenance goals involve only memory tasks

Answer: (B)

Functional goals center on real-life tasks that you want someone to be able to do to live more independently, while maintenance goals aim to preserve what a person can currently do and slow down any decline. This makes sense because rehabilitation often prioritizes helping someone handle daily activities—like cooking a simple meal, managing medications, or participating in conversations—rather than just returning to an earlier level of ability. Maintenance, on the other hand, is about keeping the current skills stable and preventing or slowing loss over time. So the statement that best differentiates the two is that functional goals focus on real-life tasks, whereas maintenance goals preserve current abilities and slow decline. The other ideas mix up the aims: restoration of abilities is not the defining feature of functional goals, and maintenance is not about improving beyond the current level. Functional goals are also not limited to theory or to memory tasks; they involve practical, everyday activities and skills.

Functional goals center on real-life tasks that you want someone to be able to do to live more independently, while maintenance goals aim to preserve what a person can currently do and slow down any decline. This makes sense because rehabilitation often prioritizes helping someone handle daily activities—like cooking a simple meal, managing medications, or participating in conversations—rather than just returning to an earlier level of ability. Maintenance, on the other hand, is about keeping the current skills stable and preventing or slowing loss over time.

So the statement that best differentiates the two is that functional goals focus on real-life tasks, whereas maintenance goals preserve current abilities and slow decline. The other ideas mix up the aims: restoration of abilities is not the defining feature of functional goals, and maintenance is not about improving beyond the current level. Functional goals are also not limited to theory or to memory tasks; they involve practical, everyday activities and skills.