Understanding Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Key Skills for Independence

Activities of daily living are basic self-care tasks crucial to a person’s ability to survive. At NuView, we emphasize the need to do something every day that will inch you closer to a fulfilling tomorrow.

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Activities of Daily Living, commonly abbreviated as ADLs, are basic tasks that people need to perform to survive and to keep their bodies functioning. ADLs are very common, everyday tasks like eating, going to the washroom, and moving from one place to another.

With aging or chronic conditions, ADLs can be adversely impacted. So, whenever the elderly or those with chronic illnesses or disorders need care or assistance, healthcare providers often rely on ADLs as a measure to understand the level of support that is required. They also use ADLs to personalize care and assistance plans to each person’s unique needs and circumstances.

What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

Activities of daily living (ADLS) was first coined by Sidney Katz in the 1950s. They refer to the basic skills people need in life, typically related to movement, grooming, dressing, eating, and toileting. However, with age, these ADLs can be adversely impacted. In fact, of late, research indicates that there has been an upward trend of ADLs-related disability among those aged between 60 - 79 and a downward trend among those aged 80 and older.

Healthcare providers typically use ADLs as a measure to cater to the different levels of care and assistance that might be required as people age.

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Basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

The basic activities of daily living are tasks that are crucial for survival and overall well-being. These include:

Eating:

Eating involves the ability to feed oneself, like the ability to bring food to the mouth, chew, and swallow food so that it reaches the stomach.

Movement:

It involves maintaining basic movement, mainly the ability to transfer oneself from one place to another. For instance, moving oneself from the bed to the washroom to the drawing room to the dining room, and so on.

Toileting:

It involves the ability to go to the toilet, properly position oneself, and use the devices to keep clean. It also refers to the ability to maintain continence. Moreover, if any other devices like catheters are present, it involves the ability to manage them as well.

Bathing:

It refers to the ability to use water, soap, towels, and other bathing supplies to keep the body clean. It also involves the ability to move the body in a manner so that every part of the body can be rinsed and cleansed.

Grooming:

It refers to the basic abilities to maintain good personal hygiene, like cleaning teeth, washing hair, and using tweezers or nail clippers, among others.

Dressing:

It is the ability to get the clothes out of the drawer or cupboard and put them onto the body. It also involves the ability to use hooks, buttons, zip, and any other material that may be needed.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)

Instrumental activities of daily living or IADLs are both similar and different from activities of daily living. They are activities used to gauge a person's ability to live and function independently and are more complicated to perform than ADLs are. The common IADLs are as follows:

Caring for Health: The ability to care for one’s own health, like visiting doctors and taking medicines as prescribed.
Managing Finances: It is the ability to manage one’s own finances, like using banking services, paying bills, and planning on how to handle expenses.
Running Errands: Running basic errands like grocery shopping, purchasing toiletries or clothes, or other basic necessities.
Cooking: It is the ability to cook one’s own meals and to do so properly and safely.
Household Chores: The ability to perform household chores includes cleaning, gardening, and so on.
Managing Communication Devices: This refers to the ability to use post, telephone, e-mail, and other devices for communication.
Understanding Safety: It involves knowing safety procedures, what the emergency contacts are, and how to contact them during emergencies.
Managing Transport: It is the ability to manage one’s own transport, like driving vehicles, using public transport, availing of cabs, and so on.
Caring for Others: This involves the ability to care for dependents, like children, pets, and others.
Maintaining Other Activities: This refers to maintaining religious practices, engaging in other hobbies and interests, and maintaining a social life.

Why Are ADLs Important for Independent Living?

Activities of daily living are the basic indicators of a person’s functional status - their ability to survive. The inability to perform ADLs indicates that a person is at a great risk of leading an unsafe, poor quality of life. It also indicates that they may require care and assistance from other people or devices.

Therefore, healthcare providers take ADLs as a measure to cater to different levels of care and assistance needs, especially among the elderly and those struggling with chronic illnesses or conditions. They also become a measure to gauge the need for hospitalization, admission into care homes, requiring paid home care services, or other living arrangements.

As per the US National Health Interview Survey (2011), it was found that an estimated 20.7% of persons aged 85 or older, 7% of persons aged between 75 - 84, and 3.4% of persons aged between 65 - 74 needed care and assistance when it came to managing their ADLs.

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Challenges in Performing ADLs

There can be many challenges in performing activities of daily living for the elderly as well as for those struggling with disabilities or chronic conditions. Some of these basic challenges are as follows:

Physical Impairments:

Typically linked with decreasing strength, imbalance, pain, and other conditions. Physical impairments can impede people from performing ADLs properly and promptly.

Mobility Issues:

Mobility issues follow physical impairments, and they make it difficult for a person to move from one place to another. For instance, basic movements like getting up from the bed and going to the washroom can begin to feel difficult.

Cognitive Impairments:

Cognitive impairments are connected to cognitive decline and are more evident among those struggling with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. People can experience memory troubles as well as eating, cleaning, and other difficulties. This can lead to unhygienic, unhealthy, and highly unsafe conditions.

Toileting Difficulties:

Mobility and incontinence are the main challenges that can lead to problems with toileting. In fact, incontinence can be embarrassing and stigmatizing for many.

When a person experiences challenges in performing ADLs, it creates circumstances that are not only unhygienic but one that can also easily turn into life-threatening conditions. Therefore, immediate care and assistance must be provided to persons finding it difficult and challenging to perform ADLs consistently.

What is the difference between ADLs and IADLs?

ADL’s full form in medical terminology stands for Activities of Daily Living. Meanwhile, IADL’s full form in medical terminology is Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.

While ADLs refer to basic activities that are required for daily functioning and survival, IADLs are more complex activities. Some examples of ADLs will be eating and toileting, and some examples of IADLs will be running errands and managing finances.

The ability to perform ADLs indicates the ability to survive - basically to stay alive and well. Any challenges or inability will indicate that a level of care and assistance is required for the person to lead a safe and healthy life. Meanwhile, IADLs are more important in terms of a person's ability to live and function independently in a community. They can also be used as a measure to get a person’s life back on track after an illness or a condition. Overall, the ability to perform IADLs indicates the ability to lead a quality life.

References:

Lin, S. F., Beck, A. N., Finch, B. K., Hummer, R. A., & Masters, R. K. (2012). Trends in US older adult disability: exploring age, period, and cohort effects. American journal of public health, 102(11), 2157–2163. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300602
Edemekong PF, Bomgaars DL, Sukumaran S, et al. Activities of Daily Living. [Updated 2023 Jun 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470404/

What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?
Basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
Why Are ADLs Important for Independent Living?
Challenges in Performing ADLs
What is the difference between ADLs and IADLs?

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About the Writer

Linda Whiteside, LPCC

Clinical Supervisor, NuView Treatment Center

Meet Linda Whiteside, MA, LPCC, a seasoned Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with over a decade of unwavering commitment to delivering top-notch mental health services to those seeking recovery from substance abuse and mental health disorders. She has developed and led programs like "Houses of Healing" and is a Certified Grief Specialist. Linda is committed to helping individuals and families find healing through compassion, understanding, and self-forgiveness.

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Understanding Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Key Skills for Independence

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Contents

What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

Get Started With Nuview Treatment Center

Basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Eating:

Movement:

Toileting:

Bathing:

Grooming:

Dressing:

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)

Why Are ADLs Important for Independent Living?

Get Started With Nuview Treatment Center

Contact Us Today

Challenges in Performing ADLs

Physical Impairments:

Mobility Issues:

Cognitive Impairments:

Toileting Difficulties:

What is the difference between ADLs and IADLs?

References:

Contents

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About the Writer

Linda Whiteside, LPCC

Clinical Supervisor, NuView Treatment Center

Everyone is Welcome Here and We All Have Your Back

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