The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services refers to activities of daily living, or ADLs, as the basic tasks of everyday life required for self-care and independent living. These tasks include bathing, toileting, dressing, eating and transferring. Transferring refers to moving into and out of bed and chairs. Advancing age increases the problems of performing ADLs. Medical conditions such as arthritis exacerbate the problem of performing these daily tasks.
Prevalence of Seniors Needing Assistance
The number of seniors needing assistance with one or more activities of daily living was estimated in 2000 at 1.4 million Americans, reports Harvard.edu. The number is expected to rise to 2.7 million seniors by 2030. In 2007 the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported the number of non-institutionalized American adults needing help with ADLs was 8.6 million. Of the 8.6 million adults, 20 percent were 75 years and older.
Importance of ADLs
The assessment gained from ADLs predicts living arrangements for the elderly, including hospital and nursing home admissions, insurance and Medicare expenses and also predicts death rates, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Private and public long-term care insurance plans utilize data from ADLs to determine if a person qualifies for benefits.
IADLs
ADLs provide general information on the basic service needs of an individual, however, ADLs do not measure the full range of activities necessary for independent living in the community, according to the department. The instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs, were developed to measure activities more complex than those of personal care. IADLs include handling finances, meal preparation, shopping, traveling, doing housework, using the telephone and taking medications, reports the department. IADLs require some cognitive function rather than just physical function to perform.
Combining Assessments
ADL measurements often reflect disabilities from conditions such as arthritis or dementia. The elderly person may need assistance from medical devices such as special beds that facilitate transferring rather than from human assistance alone. The British Geriatrics Society reports that minor functional disabilities tend to evolve into greater physical functional problems. The report recommends a compilation of ADL measurements with IADL and physical measurements, especially for the elderly living at home, to properly assess an individual's ability.
References
- Department of Health and Human Services: Measuring the Activities of Daily Living Among the Elderly: A Guide to National Surveys
- British Geriatrics Society: Coping with Activities of Daily Living in Different Care Settings
- Harvard.edu: Affordable Assisted Living: Surveying the Possibilities
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: National Healthcare Disparities Report 2009
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