What are activities of daily living (ADLs)?
The six basic self-care tasks — bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence, and transferring.
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basic self-care tasks used to measure whether someone needs long-term care. The six ADLs are:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Eating
- Toileting
- Continence (bladder and bowel control)
- Transferring (for example, from a bed to a chair)
Most long-term care policies begin paying benefits when you need substantial help with at least two of the six ADLs, or when you have a cognitive impairment requiring supervision.
General information only. This is educational and not insurance, legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules and products vary and change — confirm the specifics with a licensed professional.
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