What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)?

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, or IADLs, refer to tasks beyond basic self-care that allow a person to live independently in the community. These include managing medications on schedule, preparing meals, handling household finances and bills, maintaining a clean home, doing laundry, shopping for groceries, and arranging or using transportation.

IADLs differ from Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which cover fundamental self-care like bathing, dressing, toileting, and eating. While ADLs focus on personal hygiene and bodily functions, IADLs involve planning, decision-making, and coordination. A person may be able to feed themselves (an ADL) but struggle to plan meals or manage a medication schedule (IADLs).

In assisted living assessments across Greater Hartford, care teams evaluate IADL capability to determine the level of support a resident needs. Someone with mild cognitive decline or physical limitations might retain most ADL skills while needing help with IADLs like bill-paying or medication management. This distinction shapes care plans and staffing decisions at assisted living facilities, as IADL support often requires staff time for reminders, organization, and oversight rather than hands-on personal care.