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Daily Living & Instrumental Activities

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are the daily self-care activities that a fully functional person is able to perform within the person's place of residence. Basic ADLs include personal hygiene, grooming, dressing and undressing, controlling urinary and fecal discharge and elimination. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) aren't necessary for fundamental functioning, but they allow a person to function within a group of people. IADLs include: housework, meal preparation, taking medication, managing money, shopping, telephone and technology use.

  1. The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale

    • The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale was developed to assess the degree of independence of older adults living in a community by assessing their ability to perform basic actions, such as meal preparation or telephone use. The test is performed through a written or verbal questionnaire. Responses range from 0 (unable or partially able) to 1 (able). The more points a person scores, the more independent she or he is.

    The Purpose

    • Administering the Lawton scale is critical in medical settings. The purpose of the Lawton scale is to provide objective data on the elderly people's ability to live and function independently. It also is the basis for outlining rehabilitation needs, planning for in-home care. It allows a clinician to focus on a person's capabilities and recognize which medical services may be appropriate. It helps identify improvement or deterioration of a person's health.

    Target Population

    • The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale is used in assessing older adults in a community and hospital setting. It is not aimed at institutionalized adults because they usually have to depend on the care of others.

    Strenghts and Limitations

    • The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale is a straightforward, self-reported method of evaluating the level of functionality of older adults. Since the method is based on self-evaluation, it might be unreliable as some adults over-estimate their capabilities, while others under-estimate them. Also, the test does not include a demonstration of the task, so the person supervising it is not able to see how efficient a tested person is. As a result, the method lacks objectivity in assessing people's skills. The method also is not sensitive to small changes in functionality.

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