ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING ADL

Routine activities that people tend do everyday without needing assistance. There are six basic ADLs: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and continence. An individual's ability to perform ADLs is important for determining what type of long-term care (e.g. nursing-home care or home care) and coverage the individual needs (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid or long-term care insurance).

Nearly half of all Americans who turn 65 during any given year will eventually enter a nursing home as a result of being unable to perform ADLs. While the majority of those nursing home admissions will be for a short term (less than a year), about a quarter will stay longer than a year. Typically, coverage for nursing costs requires an individual who is unable to perform two or more of the six basic ADLs.