Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) & IADLs: What Seniors Need Help With

Most families don’t notice the changes right away. Maybe your mom stopped cooking. Maybe your dad is wearing the same shirt three days in a row. These small things add up, and they usually point to something bigger: a senior who needs help with daily living activities but hasn’t asked for it yet.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 70% of people turning 65 today will need some form of long-term care support in their lifetime. For most families, the journey starts with understanding two things: ADLs and IADLs. This guide explains what they are, what decline looks like in real life, and how in-home care can help your loved one stay safely at home.

Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are the basic self-care tasks a person needs to do every single day to take care of themselves. Bathing, getting dressed, eating, using the bathroom, moving around the house. These are not complicated tasks. But when a senior starts struggling with them, their ability to live independently is changing, and the risk of a safety incident goes up fast.

ADLs matter in more places than most families realize. Doctors use them to track a patient’s functional health over time. Insurance companies use them to determine when long-term care benefits kick in. Senior care professionals use them to build the right care plan. And families use them to understand whether a loved one needs more support at home.

Bathing requires balance, coordination, and the ability to step safely in and out of a shower or tub. For many seniors, it becomes physically risky long before they admit it. Others stop bathing regularly because they are afraid of falling and would rather skip it than ask for help.

Signs to watch for: skipping showers for days at a time, body odour, unwashed hair, skin irritation, or recurring infections. Home Halo’s Daily Living Support caregivers assist seniors with bathing safely at home, using routines and tools that protect dignity and reduce fall risk.

Getting dressed involves more steps than it seems. Choosing clothes, managing buttons and zippers, pulling on socks, tying shoes. When any part of this becomes difficult, seniors often fall into patterns like wearing the same outfit repeatedly or skipping grooming altogether.

Signs to watch for: same clothes worn for several days, seasonally wrong outfits, or a general decline in appearance from someone who used to take pride in how they looked.

This is the ADL families talk about last and the one that causes the most quiet distress. Toileting involves getting to the bathroom in time, managing clothing, and cleaning up. Continence means maintaining bladder and bowel control long enough to get there. When either breaks down, the impact on a senior’s dignity and confidence is significant, and many go out of their way to hide it.

Signs to watch for: frequent accidents, recurring UTIs, avoiding social outings, hiding soiled clothing or bedding, or a sudden reluctance to leave the house.

Transferring means moving from one position to another safely. Getting out of bed, standing up from a chair, moving from a wheelchair to a toilet seat. This also includes walking through the home without falling. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among seniors in the United States, and most happen during these exact moments.

Signs to watch for: using walls or furniture to move around, slow or unsteady walking, unexplained bruises, or a fall that was brushed off as nothing. Home Halo caregivers are trained in safe transfer techniques and mobility assistance, helping seniors move through their home confidently without putting themselves or a family caregiver at risk.

Some seniors lose the ability to feed themselves due to tremors, weakness in the hands, or difficulty swallowing. Others stop eating regularly because preparing food feels like too much effort or because eating alone has become joyless.

Signs to watch for: noticeable weight loss, food left uneaten, difficulty with utensils, coughing or choking during meals, or skipping meals entirely.

Continence is listed as its own ADL because even a senior who can physically walk to the bathroom may still lose control before getting there. Managing this well requires quick reaction time, physical mobility, and the ability to manage clothing under pressure.

Signs to watch for: urgency, frequent accidents, or finding soiled items hidden around the home.

IADLs are a level up from basic ADLs. They are not survival tasks but they are the tasks that allow a senior to manage their own life independently. Cooking, paying bills, getting to appointments, managing medications, keeping a clean home. A person can still be bathing and dressing themselves but be completely unable to handle these things without help.

Meal preparation, managing finances and paying bills on time, arranging transportation, grocery shopping, light housekeeping and laundry, managing medications correctly, using a phone or computer to communicate, and staying socially connected.

Home Halo’s Home Management Assistance service is built specifically around IADLs. Caregivers help with meal preparation tailored to dietary needs, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, and running errands, so seniors can stay in a comfortable and organized home without depending entirely on family.

ADLs are about basic body care and survival. IADLs are about managing life in the real world. You need ADLs to take care of yourself. You need IADLs to actually run your household and stay connected.

Most families don’t notice the changes right away. Maybe your mom stopped cooking. Maybe your dad is wearing the same shirt three days in a row. These small things add up, and they usually point to something bigger: a senior who needs help with daily living activities but hasn’t asked for it yet.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 70% of people turning 65 today will need some form of long-term care support in their lifetime. For most families, the journey starts with understanding two things: ADLs and IADLs. This guide explains what they are, what decline looks like in real life, and how in-home care can help your loved one stay safely at home.

Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are the basic self-care tasks a person needs to do every single day to take care of themselves. Bathing, getting dressed, eating, using the bathroom, moving around the house. These are not complicated tasks. But when a senior starts struggling with them, their ability to live independently is changing, and the risk of a safety incident goes up fast.

ADLs matter in more places than most families realize. Doctors use them to track a patient’s functional health over time. Insurance companies use them to determine when long-term care benefits kick in. Senior care professionals use them to build the right care plan. And families use them to understand whether a loved one needs more support at home.

Bathing requires balance, coordination, and the ability to step safely in and out of a shower or tub. For many seniors, it becomes physically risky long before they admit it. Others stop bathing regularly because they are afraid of falling and would rather skip it than ask for help.

Signs to watch for: skipping showers for days at a time, body odour, unwashed hair, skin irritation, or recurring infections. Home Halo’s Daily Living Support caregivers assist seniors with bathing safely at home, using routines and tools that protect dignity and reduce fall risk.

Getting dressed involves more steps than it seems. Choosing clothes, managing buttons and zippers, pulling on socks, tying shoes. When any part of this becomes difficult, seniors often fall into patterns like wearing the same outfit repeatedly or skipping grooming altogether.

Signs to watch for: same clothes worn for several days, seasonally wrong outfits, or a general decline in appearance from someone who used to take pride in how they looked.

This is the ADL families talk about last and the one that causes the most quiet distress. Toileting involves getting to the bathroom in time, managing clothing, and cleaning up. Continence means maintaining bladder and bowel control long enough to get there. When either breaks down, the impact on a senior’s dignity and confidence is significant, and many go out of their way to hide it.

Signs to watch for: frequent accidents, recurring UTIs, avoiding social outings, hiding soiled clothing or bedding, or a sudden reluctance to leave the house.

Transferring means moving from one position to another safely. Getting out of bed, standing up from a chair, moving from a wheelchair to a toilet seat. This also includes walking through the home without falling. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among seniors in the United States, and most happen during these exact moments.

Signs to watch for: using walls or furniture to move around, slow or unsteady walking, unexplained bruises, or a fall that was brushed off as nothing. Home Halo caregivers are trained in safe transfer techniques and mobility assistance, helping seniors move through their home confidently without putting themselves or a family caregiver at risk.

Some seniors lose the ability to feed themselves due to tremors, weakness in the hands, or difficulty swallowing. Others stop eating regularly because preparing food feels like too much effort or because eating alone has become joyless.

Signs to watch for: noticeable weight loss, food left uneaten, difficulty with utensils, coughing or choking during meals, or skipping meals entirely.

Continence is listed as its own ADL because even a senior who can physically walk to the bathroom may still lose control before getting there. Managing this well requires quick reaction time, physical mobility, and the ability to manage clothing under pressure.

Signs to watch for: urgency, frequent accidents, or finding soiled items hidden around the home.

IADLs are a level up from basic ADLs. They are not survival tasks but they are the tasks that allow a senior to manage their own life independently. Cooking, paying bills, getting to appointments, managing medications, keeping a clean home. A person can still be bathing and dressing themselves but be completely unable to handle these things without help.