Activities of daily living
The concept of ADLs was originally proposed in the 1950s by Sidney Katz and his team at the Benjamin Rose Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
Common activities of daily living (ADLs) include feeding oneself, bathing, dressing, grooming, working, homemaking, and managing personal hygiene after using the toilet.
A person who cannot perform essential ADLs may have a poorer quality of life or be unsafe in their current living conditions; therefore, they may require the help of other individuals and/or mechanical devices.
[8] Examples of mechanical devices to aid in ADLs include electric lifting chairs, bathtub transfer benches and ramps to replace stairs.
[13] Occupational therapists evaluate and use therapeutic interventions to rebuild the skills required to maintain, regain, or increase a person's independence in all Activities of Daily Living may have diminished due to physical or mental health conditions, injuries, or age-related impairments.
The exercise program is tailored to the patient's specific deficits, which may include walking speed, strength, balance, and coordination.
[15] For frail patients, regular exercise is vital in preserving functional independence and preventing the need for external assistance or placement in a long-term care facility.
[18] In community residential care settings, it is essential for personal assistants, doctors, and nurses to recognize that illness can alter a patient's mental state, affecting their reactions to change and possibly leading to behaviors such as fussiness or capriciousness.
[19] Providing care with patience, tact, concentration, discipline, and compassion is crucial to building trust with patients, maintaining their confidence, and supporting the success of their treatment and recovery.
Repositioning hospitalized patients also offers additional benefits, such as a reduced risk of deep vein thrombosis, fewer pressure ulcers, and less functional decline.
If the male is uncircumcised, the foreskin is gently retracted, washed, and then promptly returned to its original position to prevent restricting circulation.
Dietary modifications, as recommended by a nutrition consultation, can include chopping, mincing, pureeing, or adding thickeners to make swallowing easier.
In the domain of disability, measures have been developed to capture functional recovery in performing basic activities of daily living.
The framework of the intelligent system consists of monitoring important daily activities through the observation of everyday object usage.
The improved wellness indices helped in reducing false warnings related to the daily activities of elderly living.
[35] ADL evaluations are increasingly used in epidemiological studies as a measure of health in later life that does not focus exclusively on specific ailments.
Unlike studies investigating specific disease outcomes, research employing ADL assessments is sensitive to a wider range of health effects, including those with lower levels of impact.
[36] Sidney Katz conducted a study of 64 hip fracture patients over an 18-month period, collecting comprehensive data on their treatments, progression, and outcomes.
Analysis of the data revealed that the patients perceived as most independent were able to perform a range of basic activities, from the more complex task of bathing to the simpler one of feeding themselves.
Specifically, Porter has argued for a phenomenological approach noting that: Katz et al. (1963) made a claim that became the basis for the ontological assumptions of the ADL research tradition.
[39] A systematic review examined the effectiveness of programmes designed to teach activities of daily living skills, specifically to individuals with schizophrenia:
