What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living?

 

1. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) are activities that are important to being able to live independently but require more complex organizational and thinking skills. Instrumental activities of daily living are also referred to as life skills.

Some common examples include:

 

The diagram below provides a quick recap of the factors that may affect a person’s ability to participate in IADLs.

Personal factors

The following examples demonstrate how IADLs can be influenced by a range of personal factors, including a person’s body functions, the health conditions they have, as well as their belief in being able to participate in the activities.

 

• Health conditions

The following are examples of health conditions that can affect a person’s engagement in IADLs.

 

• Body functions (eg. mobility, strength, joint movement, cognition, vision)

 

Household chores – A person’s strength and mobility, as well as their thinking skills and ability to see all affect their ability to undertake activities such as cooking, making the bed, dish washing, doing laundry, gardening etc. For example,

 

Taking medications – Taking medications requires good thinking skills to remember what medications to take when in what quantities, as well as measuring the correct dose. Administering the medication also takes motor skills, and the ability to swallow without aspirating (when the substance goes down the airway towards the lungs)

Using a telephone – In order to use a telephone, a person requires good vision and dexterity to dial numbers or type a message, and the ability to find or remember phone numbers, as well as being able to hear the person on the other line (if talking).

Managing personal finances – Managing personal finances requires good thinking skills to remember accounts, inflows and outflows of money, and do basic calculations. It can also require reasoning and judgement to make good financial decisions. Furthermore, motor skills and the ability to see may be needed to visit a bank, use a computer or ATM, or write a cheque.

Using transportation – Being able to use transportation also requires good muscle strength, joint movement, the ability to move, think and see well. All these skills enable the person to engage in activities surrounding transportation such as:

 

Shopping – During shopping, good muscle strength, mobility, joint movement, vision and thinking skills also play an important role in for example:

 

• Confidence in their abilities

A person’s beliefs and insight into their own strengths and limitations can have an influence on their performance of IADLs. For example, a person who believes they are capable of learning some compensatory strategies in order to use the telephone is likely to participate more enthusiastically in rehabilitation. Conversely, if a person with impaired mobility does not believe that they need a walking cane in order to go out and shop, they are more likely to experience falls.

How the environment affects IADLs

The following are examples of how a person’s physical and social environment, as well as their access to assistive products, can influence their ability to engage in IADLs.

 

• Home environment

If a person’s kitchen has items stored on high shelves or in low cupboards, they will be required to bed and reach to access items. Similarly, if there is a lot of clutter in the home, they are at a greater risk of falls or injuries when attempting to clean.  

 

• Family and community

Family members, friends and community members (paid or volunteer) can assist with IADLs by either helping the person perform them, or completing part of the activity that are not able to do themselves. For example, a family, friend or community member may accompany the person when they go grocery shopping to help them find, pay and transport items, do they cooking so that they only have to re-heat meals, or support them with their banking by helping them read and understand bank statements and make transactions and payments.

• Assistive products

Household chores– Non-slip matting can be used to open bottles or jars whencooking or doing other housekeeping chores

Taking medications– A pill organizer can help a person remember the right medications  and dosage

Using telephone – Using a smart phone with accessibility functions can makes it easier for a person to use their phone to make calls, while other applications such as alarms and lists can assist with memory.

Managing finances – Simple memory supports can assist a person  to keep track of their finances

Using transportation – A person with visual impairment can benefit from using a white cane to navigate transportation

Shopping – A walker with a seat can allow a person with reduced mobility, shortness of breath, or fatigue to rest while shopping.