activities of daily living

activities of daily living (ADLs),

Everyday routines generally involving functional mobility and personal care, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and meal preparation. An inability to perform these renders one dependent on others, resulting in a self-care deficit. A major goal of occupational therapy is to enable the client to perform activities of daily living.
See also: instrumental activities of daily living scale.

ac·tiv·i·ties of daily liv·ing

(ADL) (ak-tiv'i-tēz dā'lē liv'ing) Everyday routines generally involving functional mobility and personal care, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and meal preparation. An inability to perform these renders one dependent on others, resulting in a self-care deficit. A major goal of occupational therapy is to enable the client to perform activities of daily living.

activities of daily living

ADL

Tasks performed by people in a typical day that allow independent living. Basic activities of daily living (BADL) include feeding, dressing, hygiene, and mobility. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) include more advanced skills such as managing personal finances, using transportation, telephoning, cooking, performing household chores, doing laundry, and shopping.

The ability to perform activities of daily living may be hampered by illness or accident resulting in physical or mental disability. Health care rehabilitation workers play a significant role in teaching people to maintain or relearn these skills so that they can achieve the highest possible degree of independence.

Patient care

The nurse and other members of the rehabilitation team, including occupational and physical therapists, assess the patient's ability to perform ADLs. The rehabilitation team instructs and trains the patient in techniques to relearn the skill, or to accommodate for inability to perform the task. Where appropriate, family members are involved in the rehabilitation program. Referrals to community agencies are arranged when specific tasks cannot be performed independently. See: table

electronic aids to activities of daily living

Abbreviation: EADLs
Computerized or electronic devices that help people with functional limitations gain entry to and exit from buildings, use telephones and other household items, and enjoy leisure activities.

extended activities of daily living

Instrumental 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-care

Category	Activities	Affecting Factors
Personal care	Climbing stairs, moving into and out of chair or bed, feeding oneself, opening containers, dressing, using toilet, maintaining hygiene, taking medication	Altered mobility, physical, mental, or emotional illness, elimination problems
Family responsibilities	Shopping, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, caring for yard, caring for family and pets, managing money	Altered mobility, heavy work schedule, insomnia, physical, mental, or emotional illness
Work or school	Fulfilling work responsibilities or school assignments, getting to and from work or school	Altered mobility, stress, heavy family demands, job dissatisfaction, difficulties in school, physical, mental, or emotional illness
Recreation	Pursuing hobbies and interests, exercising, reading, watching television	Altered mobility, physical, mental, or emotional illness
Socialization	Using the telephone, traveling, visiting family and friends, joining group activities, expressing sexuality	Altered mobility, physical, mental, or emotional illness, relocation

Activities of daily living

Activities of Daily Living

Basic, mundane activities such as bathing, eating, taking medication, walking, dressing, and using the toilet. Long-term care insurance policies compile and maintain (slightly different) lists of activities of daily living that a policyholder generally should be able to do. If a policyholder is unable to perform two or more activities of daily living, he/she is usually able to receive benefits from the long-term care policy. They are also important in determining eligibility for benefits from Medicare, Medicaid, and other government assistance programs.

Activities of daily living.

To live independently, you must be able to handle certain essential functions, called activities of daily living (ADLs). These standard activities include eating, dressing, bathing, moving from a sitting to a standing position, taking medication, and using the bathroom.

If you are unable to perform two or more these ADLs, you generally qualify to begin receiving benefits from your long-term care insurance policy. Each insurer's list of ADLs may vary slightly, but should always include bathing, as that is often the first activity that a person struggles with.

Cognitive impairments, such as those that result from Alzheimer's disease, are not considered ADLs. A comprehensive long-term care policy will use a different test to determine when policyholders suffering from these impairments qualify to collect benefits.