When referring to senior living options, the terms IADLs and ADLs are often brought up. But what do they actually mean, and what makes ADLs different from IADLs? This is a common question that many face, but do not worry because we got you covered. Read on to find out what are the various differences between IADLs and ADLs.
What Do They Mean?
The term “ADLs” refers to Activities of Daily Living, while the term “IADLs” refers to instrumental Activities of Daily Living.
What Are the Differences?
While IADLs and ADLs may both refer to the necessary everyday chores, there is a clear distinction between them. ADLs, which refer to activities of daily living, are more fundamental actions required for independent living. On the other hand, IADLs, which refer to instrumental activities of daily living, are for more complicated chores that are nonetheless required for daily functioning. Essentially, IADLs are for more complex but necessary tasks.
ADLs
ADLs’ care services have a variety of activities, which can be minimal support, like some supervision and check-ins, and can also be more reliant activities on caregivers or nurses. In particular, the care services for ADLs can be classified into six unique categories – ambulating, personal grooming, eating, bathing, toileting, and transferring.
Ambulating care mostly entails assisting with walking outdoors and indoors. It may also entail shifting a wheelchair, walking beside someone, or holding onto a mature adult’s arm as they are walking. Personal grooming care entails brushing teeth, dressing up for the day, brushing hair, maintaining personal appearance and cleanliness, and trimming nails.
Another ADL that some mature adults require assistance with is the physical process of eating, which includes assisting people to eat better. Bathing is another key category of ADLs, which includes assistance with getting in and out of the tub, taking a shower or bath, cleaning all parts of the body, and washing the face. Toileting care service in ADL covers all elements of bathroom use, including visiting the toilet, using the toilet, and appropriately washing oneself. Lastly, the relocation ADL refers to assisting a mature adult and shifting the body to another posture. For instance, assisting a mature adult to get out of bed easily, or assisting them in standing up.
IADLs
IADLs encompass a significantly broader variety of care service areas than ADLs. Unlike ADLs which have six unique sets of activities, there are no constant types of categories for IADLs. There are, however, several common instances that all entail complicated thinking and organizing abilities that might decline as individuals age.
Some of these include money management, transportation, housekeeping and maintenance, medication management, better communication, and the preparation of meals. For instance, the management of money refers to balancing checkbooks, paying bills, depositing checks, visiting banks, tracking the ins and outs of funds, and– all ways to manage one’s money. Mediation management, on the other hand, helps one to know what medicine they should eat, when they should eat it, and when it needs to be replaced.
