ADLs stands for what in patient care?

• A. Activities of daily living
• B. Activities during daily life
• C. Adult daily living skills
• D. Assisted daily living scores

Answer: (A)

ADLs stands for Activities of Daily Living. In patient care, this term refers to the basic self-care tasks people need to perform to live independently, such as bathing, dressing, eating, transferring (moving from bed to chair), toileting, and continence. Knowing a patient’s ability to complete these tasks helps caregivers and health professionals decide how much supervision or assistance is needed and to plan safe, appropriate care. It’s easy to confuse ADLs with IADLs, which are more complex activities like managing finances, shopping, cooking, transportation, and housework. The other choices aren’t standard terms used in clinical practice.