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Family Guidance · Assessment · 12 min read

Activities of Daily Living Checklist: Is It Time to Consider Assisted Living?

One of the hardest parts of caring for an aging parent is knowing when they need more help than you can provide at home. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are the standard measure healthcare professionals use to assess functional independence — and they're one of the key factors in determining assisted living eligibility, care needs, and benefit qualification.

Use this checklist to get an honest picture of where your loved one stands today.

What Are Activities of Daily Living?

Activities of Daily Living are the fundamental self-care tasks that a person performs daily. There are two categories:

Basic ADLs (BADLs) — Core physical self-care tasks:

  1. Bathing and personal hygiene
  2. Dressing and grooming
  3. Eating/feeding
  4. Toileting (getting to/from toilet, maintaining continence)
  5. Transferring (moving from bed to chair, etc.)
  6. Mobility/ambulation (walking, using a wheelchair)

Instrumental ADLs (IADLs) — More complex tasks required for independent living:

  1. Meal preparation
  2. Managing finances and bills
  3. Managing medications
  4. Using transportation
  5. Shopping for groceries and necessities
  6. Housekeeping and home maintenance
  7. Using the telephone or communicating
  8. Managing personal safety

ADL Assessment Checklist

Use the scale below for each item:

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Basic ADL Checklist

Bathing

Score (0–3): ___

Dressing

Score (0–3): ___

Eating

Score (0–3): ___

Toileting

Score (0–3): ___

Transferring

Score (0–3): ___

Mobility

Score (0–3): ___

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Instrumental ADL Checklist

Meal Preparation

Score (0–3): ___

Managing Finances

Score (0–3): ___

Managing Medications

Score (0–3): ___

Transportation

Score (0–3): ___

Shopping

Score (0–3): ___

Housekeeping

Score (0–3): ___

Communication

Score (0–3): ___

Safety Awareness

Score (0–3): ___

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Interpreting Your Results

Basic ADLs (max 18 points)

Score Range What It Means
0–3 Largely independent — home care or in-home support may be sufficient
4–9 Moderate assistance needed — consider assisted living evaluation
10–18 Significant assistance needed — assisted living or memory care likely appropriate

Instrumental ADLs (max 24 points)

Score Range What It Means
0–6 Largely independent with IADLs
7–14 Some help needed — home care, senior living, or family support
15–24 Significant IADL impairment — consider assisted living

Signs It's Time for a Professional Assessment

This checklist is a starting point, not a clinical diagnosis. Consider scheduling a professional geriatric assessment if you observe:

ADLs and Benefit Eligibility

Your loved one's ADL scores affect eligibility for important benefits:

Document ADL limitations carefully before applying for benefits — physician notes and care plans carrying this information significantly strengthen applications.

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Download this checklist as a PDF to bring to a physician appointment or care planning meeting.

Download ADL Checklist PDF →

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