ADL and IADL stands for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. They’re one of the best ways to determine when your older parent needs help around the home. What are they and why are they the best gauge?
Breaking Down ADLs and IADLs
ADLs are the activities your dad needs to be able to do for himself in order to live alone. They include:
- Ambulation – Moving around the home
Senior Home Care Ridgefield, CT: ADLs and IADLs
- Continence – Understanding the body’s cues to go to the bathroom and holding it until then
- Dressing – Getting dressed appropriately for the weather
- Feeding – Being able to bring food to the mouth and chew and swallow it
- Personal Hygiene – Showering, oral care, skincare, and nail care routines
- Toileting – Using a toilet and cleaning appropriately afterward
There are also IADLs that require complex thinking and organizational skills.
- Communication/Scheduling – Being able to use a phone, email, text, or chat to contact others for socialization and other reasons and schedule appointments
- Cooking – Preparing meals and snacks
- Housework – Keeping the home clean, changing sheets and towels each week, and organized and doing laundry regularly
- Finances – Paying bills on time and handling banking, and making financial decisions
- Medications – Taking medications on time and ordering refills on time
- Shopping – Keeping household supplies, groceries, clothing, and personal items stocked appropriately
- Transportation – Being able to arrange rides or drive a car
How Do You Use Them to Determine a Need for Senior Home Care?
Independent living requires your dad to be able to do all of those things. If he can’t, his quality of life decreases and that becomes problematic. You’ll find ADL and IADL checklists online. Print one out and go through each item with your dad.
Seeing his doctor, optometrist, and dentist each year are important to his health. He needs to be able to schedule those appointments. When the appointment day arrives, he needs to leave his home on time and be able to check in and provide the information the registration desk needs, such as insurance cards.
If he takes medications for his health, he cannot keep missing doses or forgetting to refill them on time. He needs to make sure he’s doing what his doctor said in terms of diet, exercise, and daily routines.
He has to be able to prepare healthy meals, keep his home clean and organized, and arrange rides or drive himself to offices or stores as needed. He also needs to be able to take care of himself, including staying clean, hygienic, and properly dressed. As soon as any of this becomes a struggle, it’s time to talk about having caregivers to help him.
Once you know where your dad’s care needs lie, call a senior home care agency. Book the services that help him live independently without risking his safety or need to socialize. Call to learn more about senior home care.
