Lauren Lee | Feb 3, 2025 - Atlanta, GA

The Buzzword Brief is a series where give plain language explanations of common terms used in disability spaces. Have an idea for the next Buzzword Brief? Email Lauren Lee. 

“ADL” stands for “Activities of Daily Living”. ADLs are routine tasks that most healthy, non-elderly adults can perform every day on their own. They include:

• Ambulating: How much a person can move from one position to another or walk on their own.
• Feeding: The ability to feed yourself.
• Dressing: The ability to choose clothes and put the clothes on.
• Personal hygiene: The ability to bathe yourself, as well as taking care of dental hygiene, nail, and hair care.
• Continence: The ability to control the bladder and bowels.
• Toileting: The ability to get to and from the toilet, use it appropriately, and clean oneself afterward. 

If someone is not able to do those tasks on their own, it might lead to unsafe conditions. Knowing which ADLs someone might need assistance with is important to determine how much help a person might need. Some folks need 24-hour care, and some might need occasional assistance. 

There are also Instrumental ADLs (or IADLs), which can require complex thinking and organizational skills. Those can include: 

• Transportation and shopping: Getting groceries, going to events, and getting from one place to another.
• Managing finances: This includes the ability to pay bills and manage financial assets.
• Shopping and meal preparation: This also covers shopping for clothing and other items required for daily life.
• Housecleaning and home maintenance: Cleaning the kitchen after eating, keeping living areas clean, and keeping up with home maintenance.
• Managing communication with others: The ability to manage telephone and mail.
• Managing medications: Ability to obtain medications and take them as directed.  

Some people are never able to do some or all ADLs, some people age into losing their ADLs, and some people lose their ability to do ADLs temporarily. Getting older is the most common way people lose their ability to do ADLs. This is especially true for those with dementia, who will have trouble remembering necessary tasks. 

Assistive technology (AT) can help foster independence by helping people with disabilities perform necessary ADLs on their own or with less assistance. If you live in Georgia, Tools for Life can help you find the right AT for you.