Paying attention to your elderly relative’s well-being becomes more crucial as time passes. It’s terrifying to think that your relative could get lost on public transportation or fall in the shower.
It can be harder to maintain independence when we get older, so it’s important to recognize when a senior can benefit from extra help or care. In addition, you may learn a lot about how independent your senior loved one is by seeing how well they execute ADLs and IADLs.
When researching the various senior housing options and the varying levels of care they provide, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the knowledge of key terminology or phrases used in the world of senior living.
In assisted living facilities for the elderly, for instance, it is essential for staff to be aware of the many forms of care that residents may require. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessments can help pinpoint problems and needs.
The activities of daily living (ADLs) are the things that everyone regularly does to take care of themselves. However, age-related impairments in mobility, cognitive function, pain tolerance, and other areas may necessitate more help with these activities.
The level of care provided by assisted living facilities for the elderly is frequently determined by the number of ADLs that a prospective resident requires help with.
Let’s review additional ADLs, also known as domestic activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), or basic daily life activities.
What Are Activities of Daily Living?
Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs for short, are the knowledge and techniques essential for surviving and taking care of oneself without help. Stephen Katz first used the term in 1950.
The independence an older adult can maintain in daily tasks like eating, moving around, and taking a shower depends on this skill set. Therefore, an important indicator of admission to assisted living, the need for increased home care, and perhaps hospitalization is measuring a senior’s ADL.
ADLs come in various forms, but basic ADLs represent a person’s essential physical requirements. They are rated according to how well they can do things on their own. Walking, feeding, clothing, maintaining personal hygiene, maintaining continence, and using the restroom are all essential ADLs.
Providers of elder care services commonly employ this phrase to zero in on the seniors who need more help in certain domains. Therefore, it’s important to become familiar with these words as you go along, whether you work in a nursing home or possibly an organization that provides elderly home care services.
For most people, many of these daily actions may need to be more flexible and routine. However, due to the aging populations in various nations, there may be some older individuals. Some cannot perform basic ADLs as well as they once could and require assistance.
1. Washing
This pertains to the individual’s ability to bathe or shower alone, including the ability to physically enter and exit the shower.
Older people are more likely to experience problems with their balance or mobility, and they are also more likely to feel the effects of extreme cold.
2. Toileting
Toileting refers to a person’s skill in finding and using a restroom, as well as cleaning up after themselves. It can also include putting on protective undergarments like pull-ups or briefs.
If you find yourself losing control of your bowels and bladder as you age, you may need to start using adult pullups or briefs.
Since functional impairment can increase the risk of falling, and the elderly are more likely to fall, using the restroom alone can result in minor or major injuries.
3. Dressing
This relates to the capacity to dress oneself, put on clothes, and take care of one’s appearance.
Some seniors may lose the ability to dress as they age as a result of health conditions such as arthritis, a stroke, fractured bones, or cognitive decline caused by dementia. In these cases, they may require assistance getting dressed.
4. Feeding
After the food has been prepared, being able to feed oneself is referred to as feeding. Persons of advanced age who are undergoing mental or physical decline may lose all ability to eat on their own. This might be brought on by a reduction in swallowing or motor abilities.
Additionally, individuals may need help with remembering to consume meals.
5. Mobility
A person who is mobile in the sense that they can sit, walk, stand, and move freely from one location to another on a flat surface is functionally mobile. For example, going up and down stairs, using assistive devices such as a wheelchair or walker or cane to get around are considered functional mobility-related tasks.
6. Transferring
While functional mobility and transferring are similar concepts that are frequently used interchangeably, transferring concentrates on all facets of being able to transition from a bed to an upright chair or wheelchair and the other way around. This also includes being able to get off and on equipment such as a shower chair or toilet.
What Are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living?
When selecting the type of care you or a loved one requires fundamental daily living activities (ADLs) matter. However, it’s also important to consider what healthcare professionals refer to as instrumental ADLs (IADLs). The ability to care for oneself is greatly influenced by one’s ability to perform IADLs, which are tasks connected to independent living.
The Lawton-Brody scale was created in 1969 to evaluate more difficult tasks seniors must perform and demand organizational and thinking skills. The scale is still employed today to evaluate a person’s proficiency in each task.
The IADLs are routines that emphasize how seniors interact with their local community and their capacity to maintain their independence. In addition, they assess those higher level skills we perform as part of our routine as described below.
IADLs may aid you in choosing between an independent living and an assisted living facility for a loved one. The eight functional tasks that made up the Lawton-Brody scale’s assessment of the IADLs are as follows:
1. Travel And Shopping
Can your loved one travel safely by car or on a bus? Can they manage their independent grocery, housekeeping, and pharmaceutical shopping?
2. Utilizing A Telephone
Can the person you care about search up and discover a phone number? Can they use the phone to call someone else and connect?
3. Medication Administration
Is your loved one able to take all their prescriptions on schedule and in the appropriate dosages? Can they manage renewals of prescriptions without help?
4. Preparing Meals
Can your loved one use the microwave or any other kitchen related appliance to prepare a meal? Can they do this safely? How much assistance do they need with this task?
5. Household Administration
Can the individual you care about keep their house neat and tidy? For example, can they manage the linens and laundry?
6. Communication
Can your loved one manage their mail and answer the phone?
7. Community Outings
Is your loved one a part of the community and regularly socializes with others? Can they get out into the community on their own or do they need our assistance?
8. Financial Management
Can the person you care about manage money properly? For example, can they manage their finances and make payments on time?
While completing patient assessments, occupational therapists use further assessments with the Lawton-Brody scale. Therefore, the following 12 IADLs, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association, may be completed in addition to the original Lawton-Brody IADLs.
- Care for others
- Care for Pets
- Child raising
- Management of communication
- Community mobility
- Financial management
- Maintenance and management of health
- Establishing and maintaining a home
- Preparing meals and cleaning up
- Religious rituals
- Emergency response protocols and safety measures
- Shopping
Knowing how well your loved one can manage ADLs and IADLs will help you determine how much assistance they require daily. As a result, you may be confident that your elderly loved one will age most healthily and safely if you can put them in touch with the appropriate help.
How do ADLs And IADLs Differ From One Another?
Daily living activities include both IADLs and ADLs, but what separates them from each other?
ADLs cover the most fundamental activities of daily living, such as eating and taking a shower. IADLs are more detailed. You may take steps to improve your community and interpersonal relationships while maintaining a healthy daily routine.
IADLs significantly affect a senior’s path to returning to “normal” after illness or surgery. They can focus on regaining their IADL proficiency once they have regained and mastered the ADLS.
What Makes ADLs And IADLs Important?
If you want to know how well an elderly person can “function,” look no further than the ADL and IADL tests. Assessing the ability to perform ADLs and IADLs is crucial when making medical or housing decisions for oneself or a loved one.
Just because a loved one can’t perform one of the ADLs does not mean immediate intervention is required. Occupational therapists are trained to help the elderly learn to perform routine tasks such as dressing, bathing, and eating on their own, where possible.
Many commonplace activities also have corresponding adaptive equipment or tools. For example, tools like a reacher and long-handled sponges can aid seniors who are experiencing trouble with daily tasks like getting dressed and bathing.
When a senior has trouble performing an ADL, durable medical equipment such as shower seats, elevated toilet seats colored feeding equipment and bed rails can greatly assist. However, it may be time for a professional evaluation if the one is having difficulty performing ADLs.
Finding communities that provide the necessary care and assistance for your loved one is an essential part of this process.
Metrics like ADL and IADL proficiency are used to establish caregiving and financial eligibility and quality of life. In addition, assessments of the ability to do activities of daily living (ADLs) are also used by various types of Medicare and state government aid programs to establish the eligibility of individuals for services.
ADLs And IADLs Assessments
A person’s need for assistance with routine tasks may be easier to determine if you witness them struggling. However, once a difficulty has become recognized you must prioritize your resources.
A visit to the family physician for an evaluation is a sensible starting point. The doctor is able to take into account both the patient’s physical and mental health.
Assessing a senior’s need for assistance with ADLs can be done by social workers, nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Occupational Therapists assess ADLs as part of our evaluation. The seniors themselves should play an integral role in this process. Geriatric care managers are another excellent resource to look into.
The ADL evaluation and a comprehensive home health care assessment are within their skill sets. However, keep in mind that the medical staff should be made aware of any issues your loved one has that aren’t addressed during the evaluation, such as being able to reach objects on high shelves.
Getting a loved one’s ADL and IADL tested is crucial. The evaluation results will make it abundantly clear whether assisted home care is feasible or if institutional placement is required. In addition, if we assess their needs beforehand, we can provide them with the care they require before it becomes an emergency.
Closing Thoughts
Get in touch with your loved one’s physician if you have worries about their capacity to carry out normal activities. Of course, knowing what challenges your aging parent or loved one is facing is essential. Still, it’s even more crucial to help them discover ways to overcome or lessen those challenges or locate the care they require.
Assisted living facilities and home care services are options to consider if your loved one requires assistance with even one ADL.
References
- https://seniorresourceconnectors.com/health/activities-of-daily-living-your-need-to-know-checklist
- https://www.whereyoulivematters.org/activities-of-daily-living-checklist/
- https://www.seniorliving.org/caregiving/activities-of-daily-living/
- https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/activities-of-daily-living
- https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/adls-iadls
- https://frontiermgmt.com/blog/activities-of-daily-living-checklist/
- https://connectedhomecare.com/home-care-burlington-office/types-of-home-care/activities-of-daily-living/
- https://www.pacificangelshomecare.com/blog/activities-of-daily-living-adls-lists-examples-checklist/
- https://www.seniorly.com/what-are-activities-of-daily-living-adls
- https://peristyleresidences.com/what-are-activities-of-daily-living/
- https://www.homage.com.my/resources/activities-of-daily-living-adl-malaysia/
- https://www.agingcare.com/articles/activities-of-daily-living-why-this-measure-matters-186853.htm
- https://www.arborcompany.com/blog/activities-of-daily-living
