Glossary

What is Activities of daily living?

Activities of daily living are the basic self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence and moving from bed to chair.

Care assessors count how many a person needs help with, and that number drives eligibility for Medicaid waivers, long-term care insurance claims and VA benefits. Instrumental ADLs are the next layer up: cooking, managing money, medication, transport, housekeeping.

Dementia usually takes the instrumental ones first and the basic ones later.

Why it matters

When a form asks how many ADLs your parent needs help with, the answer decides what they are entitled to.

What we offer: Personal Care.

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