Understanding ADLs and IADLs in Senior Living

When you first begin to investigate senior care options for a Dallas or Fort Worth area loved one, you might find the terminology to be a little confusing. The senior living industry is prone to using acronyms to describe everything from what type of care an older adult requires to the tools they use to assess someone’s memory.

Two common terms you will encounter often are ADL and IADL. They stand for Activities of Daily Living and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. These are important ones to understand because they are used to determine how much care a future resident needs. In most cases, this information is used to calculate what their monthly fee will be.

We thought it would help you to learn a little bit more about each one.

What are the Activities of Daily Living?

The activities of daily living (ADL) are a group of tasks each person needs to perform on a daily basis.

The Activities of Daily Living include:

1. Personal Care: This term refers to the tasks each of us completes at the start or end to our day. It includes bathing, showering, oral hygiene, skin care, hair care and other grooming activities.
2. Dressing: Another ADL is dressing. An older adult might require support to be able to safely dress and undress in clothing that is appropriate for both the season and the time of day.
3. Eating: An important activity of daily living that can become more challenging with age is eating. How well an older adult manages mealtime tasks independently impacts their nutrition and overall wellness.
4. Transferring: Moving from one location to another is another necessary activity of daily living. It might be how easily and safely a senior can transfer themselves from their favorite chair to a wheelchair or their bed. Or if they are able to transfer from a wheelchair to the toilet on their own.
5. Toileting: This ADL refers to how well an older adult can manage their toileting needs. It can be their ability to use their walker or wheelchair to maneuver in and out of the bathroom or their ability to manage their own continence care.

Assisted living and residential care community residents usually require assistance with at least two ADLs each day. The majority of older adults in an assisted living or residential care community need help with bathing and dressing.

What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living?

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) differ slightly from ADLs. These tasks relate more to a north Texas senior’s ability to maintain their home and lifestyle.

A few of the more common Instrumental Activities of Daily Living include:

• Medication Management: This is one of the IADLs older adults who live in an assisted living or residential care community almost always need help with. It includes a variety of small tasks ranging from knowing how and when to order refills of a prescription to being able to stay on track with taking the prescribed dose of each medication at the right time.
• Managing Finances: The ability to safely and securely maintain the household budget and pay bills is another important IADL. Because seniors are often the target of scams and fraud, managing financial affairs is even more critical for older adults.
• Household Upkeep: Completing household tasks and chores on their own or hiring someone to help and managing their work is another IADL. A senior needs to be able to maintain their home to safely remain independent.

Assisted living and residential care communities assess each potential resident to determine which of the ADLs and IADLs they will need help with should they make a move. While some communities offer flat fee pricing, the majority use an assessment tool to estimate how much a resident’s level of care charges will be each month.

Searching for Residential Care or Assisted Living Communities

We know the process of searching for care for a senior loved one is overwhelming. Our experienced, local care advisors can do the work for you. We know the communities in and around Dallas and Fort Worth well, and can offer advice on which ones might be a good fit based on your family member’s needs, interests, desired location and budget.

Please call us today at 214-929-5055 to learn more.

Senior Living Specialists is a free service for seniors and their families. We are compensated by a referral fee when a senior moves into a community or care home.