Activities of Daily Living
Also written as: ADL — Activities of Daily Living
Routine self-care tasks — such as bathing, dressing, eating, and mobility — used as functional benchmarks in rehabilitation assessment.
Full Definition
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are the fundamental tasks of everyday life that individuals must perform to maintain personal independence. In rehabilitation technology documentation, ADLs are used as outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of assistive devices, prostheses, orthoses, and training interventions. Editors will encounter both 'ADL' (singular context, referring to the category) and 'ADLs' (plural, referring to specific tasks). A distinction is also made between Basic ADLs (BADLs) — personal care tasks — and Instrumental ADLs (IADLs) — more complex tasks such as cooking, managing finances, or using transportation. Both sub-categories should be expanded on first use.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish between ADLs (basic self-care) and IADLs (instrumental/complex tasks). Expand the acronym on first use. Both 'ADL' and 'ADLs' are acceptable depending on context.
In Context
- "Reassessment showed measurable improvements in ADLs, including independent dressing and meal preparation." — Occupational therapy outcome report
- "The funding submission must demonstrate how the prescribed device will impact the client's activities of daily living (ADLs)." — Equipment funding application