Your Guide to the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are soft-skilled functions we all need to perform to take adequate care of ourselves — things like managing finances, communicating, and housekeeping. As you age, these functions may become more difficult; if you find yourself unable to perform one or more IADL, it might be helpful to consider home care.
It’s a fact of life: we all need to perform basic functions to take care of ourselves.
These “functions” are typically categorized as activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
ADLs consist of the more obvious, physical tasks — things like bathing, dressing, and eating. (You can learn all about those here.)
IADLs, however, can be a little tougher to define. Below, we’ve outlined the primary IADLs in detail: what they are, why they’re important, and how a person-centered care approach can help you maintain your sense of independence within each of them.
Note: if you find yourself struggling to perform any of the functions below, it may be helpful to consider home care. Please remember that needing help with IADLs — or ADLs — is completely normal. And while it may feel like you’re giving up part of your independence by seeking help from a caregiver, a person-centered care approach to home care will ensure whatever assistance you receive respects your values, aspirations, and sense of self. You can receive help and still be YOU.
OK, so what are these IADLs you keep talking about?
The 16 recognized IADLs are as follows:
1. Driving a Car
The gist:
The ability to drive a car independently and safely.
The person-centered care approach:
Provide you with a personal chauffeur.
If you’re struggling to safely drive a vehicle by yourself, a person-centered caregiver can act as your personal chauffeur. And it’s not just about driving you from Point A to Point B: if you have specific preferences about how you like to travel by car — say, you love listening to Simon and Garfunkel on the highway — then rest assured you and your caregiver will be singing to “Mrs. Robinson” on repeat in the car.
2. Using Public Transportation
The gist:
The ability to use public transportation — buses, trains, etc. — independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Provide you with a travel companion.
Under a person-centered care approach, a caregiver will ensure you can safely use public transportation the way you want to –– whether that’s sitting on your favorite seat on the crosstown bus, avoiding the subway during rush hour, or taking the new ride-share hovercraft to the mall (hey, who knows how much technology will advance by the time we publish this).
The point is: if you need help using public transportation, a caregiver will serve as your travel buddy to make sure you can continue to use it — safely — whichever way you prefer.
3. Shopping for Groceries
The gist:
The ability to buy groceries independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Provide you with an extra set of hands.
What’s your favorite grocery store? What’s your favorite food from said grocery store? These are the types of questions a person-centered caregiver will ask you to make sure you’re getting the types of groceries that bring you the most joy.
If you prefer the act of shopping, a caregiver will accompany you to the store; or, if you’d rather stay at home, they’ll shop for you and make sure your kitchen is stocked with all your favorite foods.
4. Shopping for Small Items
The gist:
The ability to shop for small items independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Again — provide you with an extra set of hands.
Just like with grocery shopping, a person-centered caregiver will ensure you get your necessary small item-shopping done in whatever way you prefer, whether it’s picking up toiletries, books, or colorful outfits.
5. Preparing Meals
The gist:
The ability to prepare meals at home independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Personal chef? Yes, please!
If you’re struggling to prepare your favorite recipes, a person-centered caregiver will prepare them for you — although you may have to coach them to make sure they’re getting the recipes just right.
6. Heating Food in a Microwave
The gist:
The ability to safely heat food in a microwave.
The person-centered care approach:
See #5: personal chef.
7. Heating Food on the Stove
The gist:
The ability to safely heat food on a stovetop.
The person-centered care approach:
See again #5: personal chef.
8. Organizing and Scheduling Appointments
The gist:
The ability to organize and schedule appointments independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Hello, personal assistant!
If you need help scheduling doctor’s or other appointments, a person-centered caregiver will act as your personal assistant and make sure you stay on top of what you need to.
9. Handling Your Financial Affairs
The gist:
The ability to handle your long-term financial affairs — wills, insurance — independently.
The person-centered care approach:
See #8: personal assistant.
While a person-centered caregiver likely won’t also be a certified public accountant or an attorney, they can help you make sure you’re up to date with your mail, forms, and any other paperwork or communication needed for all your financial affairs.
10. Managing Your Day-to-Day Money Matters
The gist:
The ability to handle your smaller, day-to-day money matters independently.
The person-centered care approach:
See again #8: personal assistant.
11. Participating in Social Activities
The gist:
The ability to participate in social activities independently.
The person-centered care approach:
Provide you with your own event planner.
Staying social is important for maintaining happiness and a sense of purpose as you age. If you’re having trouble maintaining social activities — whether that’s planning them, discovering them, or getting to them — a person-centered caregiver can help ensure you’re staying social the way you want to.
12. Housekeeping
The gist:
The ability to maintain a clean, clutter-free household.
The person-centered care approach:
Make you proud to live in your home.
Aside from keeping things clean and tidy, a person-centered caregiver will make sure
the décor and vibe of your home are just to your liking. Do you prefer having your morning coffee out of a yellow mug? Rest assured, the mug will be cleaned and ready to use each morning. Do you have a collection of Hitchcock movie posters? You better believe those will stay hung up in the living room for all to marvel at.
It’s all about keeping your home just the way you like it.
13. Doing Laundry
The gist:
The ability to keep up with your laundry.
The person-centered care approach:
Make sure all your favorite clothes are clean and ready.
In addition to keeping your house tidy and the way you like it, a person-centered
caregiver will make sure your laundry is taken care of — and they’ll be sure to prioritize the clothes you prefer to wear the most.
14. Using a Telephone
The gist:
The ability to use a telephone.
The person-centered care approach:
Keep you on-call, always.
If you’re struggling to use the telephone, a person-centered caregiver can help dial and hold the phone for you. It doesn’t matter who you want to call or how long you want to talk.
15. Dial 911 in an Emergency
The gist:
The ability to dial 911 if an emergency arises.
The person-centered care approach:
Call for help for you.
On a more serious — and obvious — note, your caregiver will call 911 for you if any type of emergency arises.
16. Use a Medical Alert Button
The gist:
The ability to use a Medical Alert Button if an emergency arises.
The person-centered care approach:
Again — call for help for you.
What to remember about IADLs
As we said up top, it is 100% normal to need help with IADLs (and ADLs). Most people will eventually need some type of assistance.
The best thing you can do is look at the list above and be honest about what type of help, if any, you may need. By choosing a caregiver who specializes in person-centered care, you can rest assured knowing that your preferences, goals, and values — and, above all, safety — will stay top-of-mind.
You deserve to continue feeling like you. And, with person-centered care, you will.
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Expert reviewed by
Brian Kelley, PT, DPT, MHA
Brian Kelley, PT, DPT, MHA has been both a clinician and operator in the Older Adult Post-Acute space for the past 20 years. His focus is and always has been on making sure care consumers remain the focus of care delivery and that they receive the highest quality services possible.
Written by
Eric Larson
Eric Larson is a writer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s worked on commercial campaigns for brands like Google, Amazon Fashion, and Casper, and his independent films have screened at renowned festivals in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Paris.
