Activities of Daily Living – Word of the Week #4

Word of the Week:
[su_highlight]Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)[/su_highlight]

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are basic the basic tasks required to take care dressing, bathing, grooming, toileting, walking, and moving from one chair to another (or to the bed).

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are more complex skills we need to be able to function throughout the day. These include things like balancing a checkbook, paying bills, planning a meal and shopping for it and preparing it, managing medications, completing household chores like cleaning, laundry, and changing lightbulbs.

ADLs and IADLs are skills we all need to be functional indpendent adults. These are things many of us take for granted and do without thinking about. However, there are entire assessments built to measure a person’s ability and success with ADLs and IADLs. Difficulty managing some of these tasks are very common in early dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These assessment serve as a diagnostic tool as well as assist in determining the kind of help a person may need when moving into an assisted living community.

Many senior housing communities charge a base rent for the apartment no matter if it’s independent or an assisted living apartment. In addition to that base rent are packages of additional services you can purchase from additional housekeeping, to meals, to assistance with activities of daily living. Some senior housing communities package services based on the number of ADLs a person needs help with.

A senior housing community may offer assistance with up to 3 ADLs, and charge additional for the assistance with the 4th. Knowing what ADL and IADL mean will come in handy when you’re talking with a senior care professional as well as when you are comparing costs between senior housing communities.