Home Health Care

If you are new to the world of home care, you are probably aware of the vast amount of acronyms floating throughout the practice. There are RNs, CNAs, HHAs, etc! If you are a caregiver in South Florida or a home health aide in Delray, you’ve probably heard the term ADL and IADL. 

The following will unpack these abbreviated terms and reveal the important role they play in the home care sphere. 

What is an ADL?

An ADL is an abbreviation for activities of daily living. These are basic tasks that we need for self maintenance. Often, we master these activities as young children. In the home care sphere, these tasks tend to include:

Grooming: This is the ability to maintain personal appearance. It includes picking out an appropriate outfit and managing all fasteners. It also includes maintaining general cleanliness: trimming facial hair, styling, etc. 

Ambulating: Although this term can seem foreign, this ADL is quite simple. Ambulating is the ability to move oneself from place to place through walking.

Bathing: A necessary ADL is the ability to bathe oneself. A patient should be able to clean their body without difficulty in a bath or shower. They should also be able to maintain personal facial and dental hygiene. 

Feeding: Feeding entails the ability to utilize cutlery to move food from one’s plate to the mouth without difficulty. 

Toileting: One of the most crucial ADLs is the ability to use the restroom. A patient should be able to maneuver their body safely to the toilet. They need to be able to use the toilet properly, and they should be able to clean themselves properly. 

What is an IADL?

An IADL is an instrumental activity of daily living. It still is self maintenance, it just requires complex thinking and maneuvering. If an ADL is a task that one masters as a child, and IADL is one that a teenager can feasibly manage.

 As IADLS tend to be more numerous than an ADL, this article will not list every one. Instead, it will focus on a few examples.

Managing Money: This is the ability to oversee money, stick to a budget, and pay bills. 

Medication Management: This is the ability to honor dosages, refill when necessary, and follow prescriptions.

Meal Prep: This IADL is the ability to craft a meal: get groceries, cook the food, and clean up after yourself. 

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