ADL

Activities of Daily Living: essential and routine tasks that most young, healthy individuals can perform without assistance.

Used in advising on living arrangements, e.g. Aging in Place vs moving into Senior Housing.

A taxonomy. As we grow older, our needs vary across all categories based on our physical and mental capabilities. Domestic Activities of Daily Living (dADLs), an example being hobbies, tend to be the first type of activities we stop doing. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADLs), an example being cleaning our homes, are activities we first seek additional support in doing such as hiring a house cleaner. These don't threaten our independence and with that little help, seniors can remain in their homes. The third category is called activities of Daily Living (ADLs). ADLs cannot be avoided or skipped without affecting health and safety. They directly tie to one's independence and with home care providers.

• Personal Care Assistance or Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): feeding-yourself, getting dressed, using toilet, etc.
• Lifestyle Support or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADLs): see Lawton-Brody scoring
  • cooking
  • driving
  • shopping
  • house-cleaning
  • managing finances: sticking to budget, paying bills, managing financial assets, using the ATM, writing checks, avoiding scams
  • communicating (phone/etc)
  • errands
• Activity Assistance or Domestic Activities of Daily Living (dADLs): social activities, exercise, hobbies, taking care of pet