activity of daily living
(also activity for daily living) originally and chiefly US
noun
(Chiefly in plural) any of a number of routine tasks and functions a person must be able to perform in order to maintain independence; abbreviated ADL.
- A distinction is often made between basic activities, such as feeding oneself, personal hygiene, and continence, and those related to living independently within a community, such as shopping, managing money, and household chores (sometimes called instrumental activities of daily living, and abbreviated IADL)..
Origin
1940s; earliest use found in The New York Times.
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