ADLs vs. IADLs: What Families Should Know When Exploring Senior Living

It’s normal to need a little extra help as you age. Your fingers fumble while you button your favorite shirt, and getting ready suddenly takes twice as long. And don’t forget about the endless housework. No more breezing through the dishes and laundry.

A senior living community can offer support for everything on your to-do list, from brushing your teeth to picking up a birthday card for your niece. They often help with both activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). While these terms may sound similar, they focus on different kinds of tasks. Understanding the differences between ADLs versus IADLs will help you choose a retirement community where you or your loved one will thrive.

What Are ADLs? Understanding Personal Daily Activities

Activities of daily living are routine tasks everyone needs to do to stay clean and healthy. People typically learn these tasks in childhood, but they can get harder with age. They involve everyday activities, such as:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Eating and drinking
• Personal hygiene, such as brushing teeth and skincare
• Moving between positions, like getting out of bed
• Using the toilet
• Walking

ADLs help seniors stay comfortable and safe. For example, someone with mobility challenges may need assistance putting on their socks in the morning and standing up. Without support, they risk falling. ADLs also improve confidence. When you’re clean and well-groomed, you may feel more eager to socialize or venture out for recreational opportunities.

What Are IADLs? The Tasks That Support Independent Living

Instrumental activities of daily living are more complex tasks that allow people to live independently and maintain their households. They require advanced skills, such as financial literacy and traveling across town for a doctor’s appointment.

Here are a few examples of IADLs:

• Calling family members on the phone
• Cooking
• Doing laundry
• Housekeeping activities, such as vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms
• Managing transportation
• Medication management
• Mowing the lawn
• Paying bills on time
• Planning meals and shopping for the ingredients
• Scheduling appointments

People often struggle with ADLs when they lose mobility. On the other hand, difficulty with IADLs is often an early sign of cognitive decline. You might forget an appointment with your dog groomer or accidentally leave out the sugar while making your favorite cookie recipe.

IADLs help people with memory loss stay independent and safe longer. Plus, you’ll get peace of mind from knowing that someone’s taking care of important tasks like refilling prescriptions and paying bills.

ADLs vs. IADLs: Key Differences at a Glance

It’s not always easy to recognize which type of support you or your family member needs. Here’s a quick comparison of basic ADLs vs IADLs:

Just because you need help with one doesn’t mean you automatically need support with the other. For instance, someone recovering from hip surgery may need assistance with ADLs like bathing, but have no problem handling more complex tasks.

Real-Life Examples of ADLs and IADLs in Everyday Life

Wondering what this type of support looks like in action? Here are some practical ADLs versus IADLs examples​.

Monica visits her 75-year-old mother, Fran, and notices that her usually tidy house is dusty and cluttered. The kitchen table is covered with unopened bills, and all the houseplants have wilted. After a doctor diagnoses Fran with mild cognitive impairment, Monica realizes that her mom needs help managing household chores. Since Monica travels a lot for work, she hires a home health professional to assist Fran with IADLs, such as watering the plants and budgeting.

By contrast, 65-year-old Hector has no issue handling daily tasks, but he’s tired of spending all his free time mowing the lawn and fixing his house. He decides to move into an independent living community, where staff handle the yard work and maintenance. A few years later, Hector’s health changes, and he needs help with eating and personal hygiene. He transitions into assisted living within the same community to receive support with ADLs.

Like Hector, 68-year-old Sandra is itching to start her dream retirement lifestyle. She moves into independent living so she can spend more time painting and traveling. Then she injures her knee on a hike. The community already handles all of her housekeeping and meals, but she needs help showering for a few weeks. A home care team comes by every day to lend a hand. Before long, she’s back on the trails.

How ADLs and IADLs Help Guide Care Planning

A senior’s needs can change in the blink of an eye. Maybe a fall affects mobility, or a family caregiver can’t visit as often. Other times, the shift is more gradual. Complex chores like grocery shopping and scheduling appointments take more energy and time, leaving you exhausted.

Understanding ADLs and IADLs can help your family plan ahead. For example, if you start having trouble with IADLs like managing finances, a home care team can help you stay independent. Later, you might transition to assisted living to get daily help with ADLs like personal hygiene.

Senior living communities use these services to tailor support, not make you feel like a prisoner. You can get exactly the help you need, and nothing more. You might only ask for occasional help with IADLs at first, then get more support later. It’s all about what you need at that moment to stay independent and happy.

For the easiest transitions, look for communities that offer multiple care plans. That way, you won’t need to start over somewhere new if you decide that you need more support down the line.

How Senior Living Communities Support ADLs and IADLs

Senior living communities offer built-in support for IADLs through their amenities and services. Need help getting downtown for an appointment? Get a ride from the community shuttle. If making a sandwich feels daunting, let the on-site chefs handle all the meal planning and cooking.

You can ditch your vacuum and rake, too. Staff manage all the maintenance, so you can enjoy a beautiful home with none of the work. If you’re feeling spread too thin, you can absolutely reduce stress in a retirement community.

These services give you more time to spend on the activities you care about. Instead of lugging around a laundry basket, you can catch a sunrise yoga class or meet friends for your monthly book club. These activities help you take care of your mental and physical health. You’ll also feel more connected when you have plenty of opportunities to interact with like-minded people.

Plus, you can get assistance with ADLs whenever you need it. These services are designed to be supportive, not invasive. Schedule them on your own terms, and spend the rest of your time doing whatever you like. It’s a convenient way to get help without sacrificing your independence.

Using ADLs and IADLs To Find the Right Lifestyle Fit

At first, ADLs and IADLs may sound clinical and focused on limitations. However, they’re tools, not labels that limit what residents can do. They help families and seniors ask for the right kind of support.

These activities are only part of the equation, though. Look for a senior living community that offers support for every part of your lifestyle, not just chores and self-care. After all, you may only spend a few minutes a day on personal hygiene. You need an environment that enriches you all the time, so you can get the most out of your retirement.

At Senior Resource Group, each resident gets the right level of support based on their needs and comfort level. We’re committed to helping you live fully, comfortably, and confidently. Contact us to learn more about our luxury amenities and wellness programming.