Activities of daily living (ADLs) are those activities we undertake in a normal day to care for ourselves. They include bathing, grooming, feeding ourselves, shopping, and transporting ourselves from place to place. ADLs are used by disability insurance companies and long-term care providers to determine if an insured is eligible for benefits. The ADLs normally considered for insurance benefits are bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (e.g., moving in and out of a bed or chair), continence, and eating.
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1. Physical nonoccupational activities used to determine eligibility for long-term care such as bathing, continence, dressing, eating, mobility, transferring in and out of bed or a chair, using the toilet, and walking. ADLs are used to measure how dependent a person may be on requiring assistance in performing any or all of these activities. Compare with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). 2. In workers’ compensation cases, these activities may include self-care, communication, physical activity, sensory function, hand functions, travel, sexual function, sleep, and social and recreational activities.
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Everyday living functions and activities normally performed unaided by individuals. They include eating, dressing, bathing, climbing stairs, etc. ADLs are the basis for assessing claims under long-term care insurances and similar disability contracts. A claim is triggered when an individual is unable to perform activities of this type unaided.