---
title: "What Is Activities of daily living? Home Care Glossary"
description: "Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basic self-care tasks people do each day. The common list is bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting,..."
url: https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/activities-of-daily-living/
publisher: HomeCare.com
phone: 800-974-3458
start: https://care.homecare.com/?source=homecare.com
---

Daily living and health

# Activities of daily living (ADLs)

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basic self-care tasks people do each day. The common list is bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence. Care teams use difficulty with these tasks to judge how much help a person needs.

## Why it matters for your family

ADLs are the common language of care planning. A doctor, a nurse, an insurer, or a family can say, for example, that a person needs help with bathing and transferring. That makes needs clearer than saying the person is frail. Long-term care insurance policies and Medicaid programs often use ADLs to decide who qualifies, so details matter. A common mistake is guessing instead of watching. Notice which tasks take a long time, need reminders, or put a person at risk. Lists vary slightly by tool, so ask which list an insurer or agency uses.

Source: [acl.gov](https://acl.gov/ltc/glossary)

[Read more: Personal and advanced care](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/personal-care/)

## Related terms

-   [**Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)**Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are tasks needed to live on your own, such as managing money, taking medicines, cooking, housekeeping, shopping, and using transportation or a phone.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/instrumental-activities-of-daily-living/)
-   [**Bathing**Bathing, as an activity of daily living, means washing the body by sponge bath, tub, or shower, and getting in and out safely.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/bathing/)
-   [**Dressing**Dressing, as an activity of daily living, means choosing clothes, putting them on and taking them off, including fasteners and shoes.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/dressing/)
-   [**Toileting**Toileting, as an activity of daily living, means getting to and from the toilet, using it, and cleaning up afterward.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/toileting/)
-   [**Transferring**Transferring, as an activity of daily living, means moving between surfaces, such as bed to chair, chair to standing, or wheelchair to toilet.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/transferring/)
-   [**Level of care assessment**A level of care assessment is an evaluation that decides whether a person needs the level of care that a nursing facility provides.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/level-of-care-assessment/)

[All glossary terms](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/)

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