instrumental activities of daily living


instrumental activities of daily living

A series of life functions necessary for maintaining a person's immediate environment–eg, obtaining food, cooking, laundering, housecleaning, managing one's medications, phone use; IADL measures a person's–elderly, mentally handicapped or terminally ill ability to live independently. See Dependency.

in·stru·men·tal ac·tiv·i·ties of dai·ly liv·ing

(IADL) (in'strŭ-men'tăl ak-tiv'i-tēz dā'lē liv'ing) Activities oriented to interactions with the environment, more complex than activities of daily living (ADL); usually optional or can be delegated (e.g., care of pets, financial management, meal preparation, clean up and shopping).
Synonym(s): personal activities of daily living.

instrumental activities of daily living

Abbreviation: IADL
Those activities and tasks beyond basic self-care that are necessary for living independently. These activities include communication, mobility, cooking, using the telephone, cleaning the house, doing laundry, shopping, going to the bank, and managing medications. Synonym: extended activities of daily living See: activities of daily living; self-careSee also: activities of daily living