🌿 A Complete Guide to Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): What Families Need to Know in 2025

chesapeakecottage
1 hour ago
2 min read

Understanding when it may be time for extra support and how Chesapeake Cottage can help.

⭐ What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

As our loved ones age, it becomes increasingly important to understand how well they can manage essential everyday tasks. These fundamental tasks are known as Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs — the basic skills a person needs to live safely and independently.

The 6 primary ADLs include:

Bathing & Personal Hygiene
Dressing
Mobility & Transferring
Toileting
Continence
Feeding (not including cooking)

When someone begins struggling with two or more ADLs, it’s often a sign that additional support, whether in-home care or assisted living, may be beneficial.

⭐ What Are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)?

IADLs, or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, involve higher-level thinking skills, organization, planning, and judgment. These tasks allow a person to manage their home and personal affairs.

IADLs include:

Managing medications
Preparing meals
Handling finances
Shopping for household needs
Transportation and driving
Communication (phone, email)
Housekeeping and home maintenance

Early difficulty with IADLs is often one of the first signs a senior may need increased support.

🩺 How Are ADLs Assessed?

Professionals, including nurses, physicians, and assisted-living care teams, use structured tools to evaluate a senior’s independence. The most common assessments include:

Katz Index of Independence in ADLs
Barthel Index
Functional Independence Measure (FIM)

Family members can also contribute important insight by noticing:

Missed medications
Bill-paying or money confusion
Increased falls or safety concerns
Changes in hygiene
Difficulty moving around
Forgetfulness affecting daily life

Evaluating ADLs provides clarity on what level of care will help your loved one remain safe and thrive.

🏡 How Assisted Living Helps With ADLs

At Chesapeake Cottage Assisted Living in Snow Hill, Maryland, we help residents with all ADLs and IADLs in a warm, family-style environment. Our small 16-resident home ensures personalized care, compassionate support, and consistent supervision that larger facilities often cannot offer.

Our care includes:

Assistance with bathing, dressing, mobility, toileting, grooming
Medication management
Fresh, home-cooked meals
Housekeeping & laundry
Transportation assistance
Social activities, companionship, and engagement
24/7 staff and RN oversight

Families are often surprised how much their loved one improves once they have help with daily tasks — better nutrition, consistent routines, and supportive companionship make a huge difference.

⭐ Is It Time to Consider Additional Support?

Ask yourself:

Are they missing medications or meals?
Have falls or ER visits increased?
Is hygiene declining?
Are finances being mismanaged?
Is the home becoming cluttered or unsafe?
Do they seem lonely, overwhelmed, or confused?

If you answered yes to one or more questions, now is the right time to explore support options — before a crisis happens.

🌼 Why Families Choose Chesapeake Cottage Assisted Living

At Chesapeake Cottage, we specialize in intimate, personalized care for seniors who need daily living support. Our small size allows us to know each resident deeply and tailor their care to their exact needs.

📍 Located in Snow Hill, MD, we proudly serve families across: