ADLs and IADLs: where is support needed?
Some care needs involve personal tasks such as bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, and eating. Others involve the routines that keep life and a household running, such as meals, shopping, laundry, errands, and organization. Understanding the difference between Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living can make a care conversation much clearer.
What Are ADLs?
Basic Activities of Daily Living
Common ADLs include:
- Bathing or showering
- Dressing
- Grooming and personal hygiene
- Toileting and continence care
- Eating and feeding
- Walking or mobility
- Transfers between bed, chair, toilet, and other surfaces
Difficulty with ADLs often points toward personal-care or mobility support.
What Are IADLs?
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
IADLs are more complex activities that help a person manage an independent household and routine. Examples can include:
- Meal planning and cooking
- Grocery shopping
- Laundry
- Light housekeeping
- Transportation or arranging transportation
- Managing appointments
- Managing finances
- Using the phone or communication tools
- Medication routines
- Errands and household organization
Difficulty with IADLs can appear before someone needs hands-on personal care.
Quick Comparison
ADLs — Basic Self-Care
Bathing Dressing Toileting Eating Grooming Mobility Transfers
IADLs — Managing Daily Life
Meals Shopping Laundry Housekeeping Errands Appointments Medication routines Household organization
Why the Difference Matters for Home Care
It Helps Define the Type of Assistance Needed
A person who needs help only with shopping, meals, and laundry may need a very different schedule from someone who requires assistance with bathing, toileting, and transfers.
The care plan should reflect the actual tasks, amount of help required, frequency, safety considerations, and state-specific service framework.
ADL Support Can Range From Cueing to Hands-On Help
Not Every Need Means Full Assistance
Someone may need:
- A reminder to start the task
- Items set up within reach
- Standby assistance for safety
- Partial physical help
- More direct assistance
The goal is to support what the person can still do safely rather than automatically doing every task for them.
IADL Changes Can Be Early Warning Signs
Household Function Often Changes Gradually
Families may notice unopened mail, spoiled groceries, unfinished laundry, missed meals, or errands becoming difficult before personal hygiene changes.
These observations do not diagnose a condition. They can show that the current support system is becoming harder to maintain.
Medication Routines Need Clear Boundaries
Reminder Is Not Administration
An IADL-related medication routine may involve reminders for medications the person is responsible for self-administering.
Medication reminders are not the same as medication administration, dose changes, medication reconciliation, or nursing assessment.
Use ADLs and IADLs to Prepare for an Assessment
Write Down Which Tasks Are Changing
Before speaking with Eden, consider:
- Which ADLs are difficult?
- Which IADLs are difficult?
- What can the person still do independently?
- How much help is currently being provided by family?
- Has anything changed suddenly?
- What times of day are hardest?
- What mobility equipment is used?
- Where will care be delivered?
Use the List to Describe the Need—Not to Label the Person
Share the location and a general description of the support being considered. Eden will review the request and explain the appropriate next step.