Activities of Daily Living — usually called ADLs — are the basic tasks people do each day to care for themselves. They are the foundation of independent living, and they give families and care teams a shared, practical language for describing what someone can do comfortably and where they might need support.
The six core ADLs are bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring (moving from bed to chair, for example), and continence care. When one of these becomes difficult, it often signals a change in a person's ability to live independently and safely at home.
Related tasks — sometimes called instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs — are more complex everyday activities such as managing medications, preparing meals, doing housekeeping, shopping, managing finances and using transportation. Difficulty with IADLs often appears before difficulty with the basic ADLs.
Understanding both ADLs and IADLs helps families describe care needs clearly. Instead of a vague sense that a parent is 'slowing down,' a family can see, for example, that bathing and meal preparation have become difficult while dressing remains manageable. That clarity makes it easier to arrange the right support.
Home care is built around these activities. A care plan can be tailored to exactly the ADLs and IADLs that have become challenging, preserving as much independence as possible while filling the gaps with dignified, reliable help.