Activities of Daily Living Checklist: A Guide for Families

Have you noticed an aging loved one struggling with everyday tasks, like getting dressed or cooking a meal?

These changes tend to happen gradually, making it hard to know when to step in.

An activities of daily living checklist can help. The list walks you through basic self-care tasks, like bathing, eating, and getting out of bed, so you can see what your loved one does well on their own and where they need support.

In this guide, we’ll cover activities of daily living (ADLs), more complex tasks (IADLs), and how in-home care helps your loved one stay safe and independent.

Key takeaways

• Activities of daily living (ADLs) are six basic self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence, and eating.
• IADLs, like cooking, shopping, and managing medications, are more complex and tend to get harder first.
• An activities of daily living checklist shows where your loved one needs help, so you can set up in-home care for those tasks.

What are activities of daily living (ADLs)?

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basic tasks of self-care. Healthcare providers use them to measure functional status, or how well a person can take care of themselves without help.

One of the most widely used ADL assessments, the Katz Index, breaks them into six categories.

Here are examples of activities of daily living in each one:

• Bathing: Showering or taking a bath, washing up, and keeping up with personal hygiene.
• Dressing: Choosing clothes and putting them on, including buttons, zippers, and shoes.
• Toileting: Getting to the bathroom, using the toilet, and cleaning up afterward.
• Transferring and mobility: Getting in and out of bed or a chair, standing up, and walking around the house.
• Continence: Controlling bladder and bowel function.
• Eating: Feeding oneself, including holding utensils and bringing food to the mouth.

Needing help with one or more ADLs doesn’t mean your loved one can’t live at home.

Grab bars, a shower chair, or a few hours of hands-on support each week can make their routine safer and help them stay in their home longer.

Activities of daily living checklist for seniors

Not sure where your loved one needs help? This activities of daily living checklist walks through each ADL with a few questions you can answer yourself or ask your loved one directly.

For each question, mark one of three answers:

• Independent: They handle the task safely on their own.
• Occasional help: They need a hand on some days or with part of the task.
• Regular help: They need assistance most or all of the time.

Base your answers on what you’ve seen over the past few weeks, rather than on a single good or bad day.

Bathing and personal hygiene

• Can your loved one get in and out of the shower or bathtub safely?
• Can they wash themselves and brush their teeth without help?
• Have they started skipping showers or letting grooming slide?

Dressing

• Can your loved one choose clothes that suit the weather?
• Can they put on and take off clothing on their own?
• Do buttons, zippers, socks, or shoes give them trouble?

Toileting and continence

• Can your loved one get to the bathroom in time and use the toilet safely?
• Can they manage their clothing and clean themselves afterward?
• Are they having bladder or bowel accidents?

Transferring and mobility

• Does your loved one get in and out of bed or up from a chair without support?
• Can they walk around their home safely, including on stairs or uneven floors?
• Have you noticed changes in their balance, or any recent falls?

Eating

• Can your loved one feed themselves without assistance?
• Can they use utensils, hold a cup, and cut their food?
• Do mealtimes seem tiring or frustrating for them?

You don’t need to treat this checklist like a test. Your answers show which tasks are getting harder, helping you understand the specific support your loved one needs.

Trouble with a few tasks doesn’t mean they need help with everything, so focus on the areas where assistance would make their routine safer and more comfortable.

ADLs vs. IADLs: What’s the difference?

ADLs cover basic personal care. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are the more complex tasks a person needs to handle to live independently, and they take more planning, memory, and organization.

That’s why your loved one might bathe and dress without any trouble but struggle with cooking, cleaning, or managing money.

The Lawton IADL Scale, a common companion to the Katz Index, groups examples of IADLs into eight areas:

• Using the phone: Making and answering calls to stay in touch with family, friends, and doctors.
• Shopping: Buying groceries, household supplies, and other items they need.
• Meal preparation: Planning meals, cooking, and handling food safely.
• Housekeeping: Cleaning, tidying up, and maintaining their home.
• Laundry: Washing, drying, and putting away clothes and linens.
• Transportation: Driving, taking public transit, or arranging rides to appointments.
• Medication management: Taking the right dose at the right time and keeping up with refills.
• Managing finances: Paying bills, budgeting, and keeping track of expenses.

IADLs tend to get harder before basic ADLs do.

Your loved one might get dressed every morning without help but forget to refill a prescription or struggle to carry groceries inside.

Spotting these early changes helps you find the right level of support without taking over tasks your loved one can still do on their own.

How do you know when your loved one needs help with daily activities?

Small changes in daily habits are usually the first clue. You might notice your loved one wearing the same outfit for days, or a stack of unopened mail on the counter. One change on its own isn’t cause for alarm, but ongoing patterns deserve a closer look.

Watch for signs like these:

• Changes in hygiene: They’re bathing less, wearing unwashed clothes, or not keeping up with grooming.
• Trouble moving around: They hold onto furniture as they walk, avoid the stairs, or take longer to get out of a chair.
• Skipped meals or weight loss: The fridge is empty or full of expired food, or they’ve lost weight without trying.
• Missed bills or medications: Late notices are piling up, or pill bottles are fuller than they should be.
• Pulling back from routines: Hobbies, outings, or chores they used to enjoy now seem exhausting or frustrating.

Pay close attention after a hospital stay, surgery, or injury. Illness and hospitalization can lead to a decline in your loved one’s ability to handle ADLs, and an injury can reduce it suddenly. Extra help during recovery keeps them safe while they regain strength at home.

Talk with your loved one about how these tasks feel to them. They may have found workarounds or feel uncomfortable asking for help, and their answers can tell you what type of support they’d welcome.

If you notice sudden changes, frequent falls, or a sharp decline in self-care, contact their healthcare provider. Finding out if there’s a medical issue behind the change helps you decide what kind of care they need.

How can in-home personal care help with ADLs?

In-home personal care brings hands-on support to your loved one’s door. An in-home caregiver can assist with the ADLs that have gotten hard to manage, so your loved one can keep living at home.

A Helper can assist with:

• Bathing and grooming: Getting in and out of the shower, washing up, and brushing hair or teeth.
• Dressing: Putting on clothing, shoes, and helping with buttons and zippers.
• Toileting: Getting to the bathroom, adjusting clothing, and cleaning up afterward.
• Transferring and mobility: Standing, walking, and moving between the bed, a chair, or the car.
• Eating: Preparing meals and assisting with eating and drinking (when needed).

Helpers can also pitch in with IADLs, including grocery shopping and medication reminders.

Good personal care also protects your loved one’s independence. A Helper steps in where your loved one needs a hand and encourages them to keep doing the parts of their routine they can still handle.

Herewith’s platform connects you with independent, background-checked Helpers who provide non-medical, in-home care. You can book a one-time visit for a morning routine or set up part-time, full-time, or 24-hour care, with no contracts or hourly minimums.

Using your ADL checklist to plan for care

Your checklist answers show you where to start. Look first at the tasks you marked “regular help,” since your loved one needs assistance with those most of the time. Tasks marked “occasional help” might need only a few hours of support each week, like a Helper who comes by on bath days.

Plan the next steps together. Ask your loved one which tasks they want to keep doing on their own and where they’d welcome a hand, so the plan reflects their preferences.

Needs change over time, so revisit the checklist every few months, or sooner after a hospital stay, a fall, or a new diagnosis. When you’re ready to bring in support, you can book in-home personal care for the exact tasks on your list.

Families also ask

What are the six activities of daily living?

The six basic activities of daily living (ADLs) are bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence, and eating. These are the categories the Katz Index uses to assess how well a person can care for themselves without help.

What do ADLs measure?

ADLs help measure a person's ability to complete basic self-care tasks independently, including whether they need occasional or regular assistance.

What is the difference between ADLs and IADLs?

ADLs are basic self-care tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are more complex tasks that support independent living, such as cooking, shopping, managing medications, and handling finances. IADLs tend to get harder first, so your loved one might stay independent with ADLs while needing help with IADLs.

What is an IADL?

An IADL, or instrumental activity of daily living, is a more complex task a person needs to handle to live independently. Examples include cooking, shopping, managing medications, and handling finances.

Can an older adult who needs help with ADLs still live at home?

Yes. Needing help with ADLs doesn’t automatically mean your loved one has to move into assisted living. An in-home caregiver can assist with bathing, dressing, mobility, and other daily tasks, so your loved one can keep their routines at home. The right level of care depends on their health and safety needs.