What Are Activities of Daily Living and How Are They Assessed?

Regular ADL examinations can help you detect undetected signs early on and obtain appropriate treatment, resulting in a better outcome. 

Activities of daily living (ADLs) refer to the essential personal care tasks that people must perform on their own to live freely, such as bathing, feeding, and toileting. As a person matures, these tasks become more difficult to complete. If your loved one is dealing with ADLs, it could indicate a need for senior care.

To make an informed decision about your loved one’s care requirements, utilize our ADLs checklist to analyze and learn about their abilities.

What are ADLs?

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the fundamental tasks required for daily existence, whereas instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are the more complicated tasks required to function independently and handle one’s affairs.

According to research, people over the age of 85 require support with activities of daily living, with more than 20% of seniors needing aid with ADLs.

Examples of daily living activities

Here are some activities of daily living examples:

• Bathing and showering: the ability to bathe and maintain personal cleanliness.
• Continence—having perfect control over the bowels and bladder.
• Dressing—the ability to pick appropriate clothing and outerwear for the weather or event and get dressed autonomously.
• Mobility is walking or transferring from one place to another, especially in and out of a bed or chair.
• Feeding (excluding meal preparation)—the ability to get food from plate to mouth, chew, and swallow.
• Toileting is the capacity to go on and off the toilet and clean oneself without assistance.

How are ADLs assessed?

Caregivers can evaluate ADLs in several ways. You can use health care expert assessments, caregiver feedback, or ask your loved one whether they have observed any changes in their abilities.

1. Professional ADL assessments

Healthcare workers commonly employ one of the three types of ADL assessments:

• The Katz Independence Index for Activities of Daily Living. This is typically for seniors in long-term care facilities, where the disability is more severe yet stable. This assessment gives one point for each ADL that your loved one can perform independently. The total number of points at the end of the exam indicates how independent your loved one is and how much support they may require.
• The Barthel ADL index. This evaluation includes two new activities: grooming and the ability to climb stairs. It is also used in care settings and can identify small changes in a patient’s health. The task levels in this evaluation are graded on a scale of points. As with the Katz assessment, the more points you have overall, the more independent your loved one is expected to be.

2. Caregivers’ input

Caregiver input might provide a more complete picture of your loved one’s functioning abilities. Family members or professional caregivers are generally aware when a senior requires more support than they used to. For example, a parent may begin to seek assistance in situations that they previously handled on their own.

3. Self-Reporting

Self-reporting can also assist in initiating discourse regarding ADLs. Nobody knows a situation better than the person living it.

Self-reporting is especially useful when people are experiencing minimal cognitive loss. If a senior’s memory is working properly, they may be more honest about their challenges or remember incidents more clearly. Remember that self-reporting might add bias, as your loved one may not believe an incident is worth noting when it is.

4. Professional opinion

According to Dr. Leslie Kernisan, a geriatrician, families rarely inquire about ADLs until a parent or senior loved one is undergoing long-term care assessments. Kernisan recommends that you notify your loved one’s medical staff of any changes in ADLs. Often, a change in a senior’s capacity to execute activities necessitates testing that may reveal a medical concern. This can aid doctors in determining the underlying reason for the problem or change in ability.

Tips to Assess Your Loved One’s ADLS

When assessing your loved one’s capacity to execute ADLs, follow these guidelines:

• Request additional opinions. Check with your loved one’s neighbors, relatives, and friends. Inquire about changes in your loved one’s ability. Choose two or three persons to discuss your issues with.
• Assess on a spectrum. Instead of a straightforward “yes, they can do the task” or “no, they can’t,” consider whether your loved one can do it a little bit, sometimes, or often.
• Be patient with slow activities. “If a person is executing a task more slowly than they used to, it doesn’t indicate they can’t do the activity,” Kernisan said.”
• Think about the time of day and how exhausted they are. Many senior citizens have better cognitive capacities and more vitality in the morning.
• Consider their health. Your loved one’s abilities may be temporarily impaired if they’re tired or fighting a sickness.
• Find the time. “It’s common to be in a hurry, and it’s difficult to find the time to observe, but it’s important to take the time, and when you do, be patient,” Kernisan said.
• Consider your own preconceived beliefs about your loved one. Are they interfering with your capacity to conduct an objective assessment?
• Make an effort to correct whatever you can. Ensure your loved one can live life to the fullest of their ability and as independently as possible.

In the end!

If you or a loved one requires assistance with ADLs, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Caregivers and assisted living facilities can considerably improve your quality of life by encouraging you, cheering you on, tracking your progress, offering timely assistance, and assisting you in maintaining your independence. Regular ADL examinations can help you detect undetected signs early on and obtain appropriate treatment, resulting in a better outcome.