Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

When I started working in Nursing Care and Assisted Living, I would constantly hear the term, ADL, which stands for Activities of Daily Living. I had no idea what they were talking about at first (my naïve mind went to exercising, writing, answering the phone, paying bills, etc.) Boy was I wrong!

So, what actually are Activities of Daily Living? (Also known as ADLs)

Simply, it is how someone is able to self-care for themselves, or how independent an older person is on a daily basis. (It is also a term commonly used amongst professionals who work in the aging industry, to help identify which seniors need more support in a particular area. )

The ADLs consist of:

• Washing/bathing– one’s ability to wash their face or body in the bath or shower independently, as well as physically getting in and out of the shower safely.
• Toileting– the ability to get to and from the toilet, getting on and off the toilet safely, using it properly, and being able to clean oneself afterwards. This also pertains to putting on protective undergarments.
• Dressing– the ability to choose which clothes to wear, putting them on, and managing one’s self appearance. Dressing also includes securing and unfastening any artificial limbs, braces, and other medical applications, if needed.
• Feeding– the ability to feed oneself after the food has been prepared.
• Mobility– the ability to sit, stand, walk and move from one place to another on level surfaces, getting onto and off of the toilet, sitting and rising from the couch or other furniture, as well as going up and down the stairs.
• Transferring– the ability to functionally move from one position to another, i.e. going from the bed to a wheelchair.

Why is being aware of one’s ability to perform Activities of Daily Living so important?

If a person shows signs of inability to perform certain daily tasks it might be a sign for many health concerns, such as:

• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Dementia
• Dehydration
• Malnutrition
• Medication mismanagement
• Depression
• Cancer
• Heart problems
• TIA or stroke
• Vision loss
• Hearing loss
• Muscular issues and so on.

Alerting the Primary Care Physician to any changes in ability to perform ADLs may help someone.

If the inability to perform certain ADLs is found to be a permanent change, there are many ways to assist someone to help them maintain their independence.

Some ideas are:

• Hiring Home Health
• Asking help from family, friends, and neighbors
• Adjusting and modifying a home to maintain independence
• Providing special tools to assist with ADLs (i.e. modified utensils, Velcro shoes, etc.)
• Moving to an Assisted Living
• Moving in with family

Don’t know how to determine if they need assistance?

There is an assessment tool that can be done by an Occupational Therapist. Don’t have an OT? Ask their primary care physician to recommend one.

In conclusion, someone being able to perform their Activities of Daily Living is an important indication of whether one is healthy, safe, and independent.

Overall keeping an eye on an older adult’s ability to do everyday tasks is a simple way to keep track of someone’s health.