Activities of daily living (
ADL), is a way to describe the functional status of a person. It is a tool in the
biopsychosocial model of
medicine, and is useful for assessing the
elderly[?], the
mentally ill, those with
chronic diseases[?], and others.
This is seen to include a number of components, though these are not strict rules.
Can the person carry out fundamental activities of self-care. This includes activities such as bathing, feeding, going to the
toilet, dressing,
grooming[?] and taking
medication.
Refers to whether the person can get out of their house, and how they can travel by themselves.
This includes activities not necessary for fundamental functioning, but still very useful in a community.
Cooking,
shopping,
housework[?] and
transportation are in this category.
There are systems (such as the Katz ADL scale[?]) that seek to quantify these functions and obtain a numerical value. These systems are useful for the prioritising of care and resources.
Generally though, these should be seen as rough guidelines for the assessment of a patient's ability to care for themselves.