With the passage of time, there will be changes in the needs of any person, including when caring for elderly relatives. It is crucial to monitor their health and determine whether the person is safe and adequately cared for. This is where ADL reports come in.
What are ADL Reports?
ADL refers to activities of daily living. An ADL report can therefore be defined as a particular tool responsible for assessment and evaluation particularly of healthcare professionals with respect to the basic requirements for the everyday living of a person in isolation.
The ADLs consist of the following tasks:
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Bathing: The act of cleaning one’s body either in part or in entirety.
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Dressing and Undressing: Putting or removing any type of apparel.
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Toileting: The act of going to the lavatory without any assistance.
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Transferring: The ability to shift from the bed to a chair or the reverse, depending on what is appropriate.
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Mobility: The ability to walk within the house and outside with the help or without.
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Continence: The management or control of bladder and bowel movements.
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Eating: The consumption of meals and the soups whether by self-administering or with the aid of another.
Why are ADL Reports Important?
ADL reports provide valuable information for:
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Monitoring Senior Health: It is essential to understand that such routine evaluations would help in discovering even slight changes in a senior’s capacity to carry out some basic self-care activities. Such changes are often indicative of illness and it is appropriate for health intervention procedures to be done at such a point in time to prevent the illness from worsening.
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Care Planning: Measurement of ADL enables the health professionals to assess the amount of care to render to a senior. This information could then assist in formulating a customized care plan, be it home care, assisted living or nursing care.
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Evaluating Progress: Attendance to the ADL by caregivers should include monitoring changes in the scores recorded. This will help the medical practitioners in evaluating the care offered to seniors and even change the care plans in the event of poor outcomes.
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Communication and Collaboration: ADL reports serve communication needs of family members, healthcare providers and caregivers; all parties can figure out the needs of the senior and collaborate to meet them.
Understanding ADL Scores:
Each ADL score is usually assessed based on a scale of 0 to 4, where zero pertains to total dependence and 4 points signifies complete independence in the area being measured from each activity.
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Independent (4): One could perform the activity without any help from other people.
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Modified Independence (3): Activity needs some help but for the most part the person can do this activity.
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Dependent Supervision (2): The activity can be completed but help and watching are needed.
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Dependent Assistance (1): The activity cannot be done on one’s own; therefore help is needed to accomplish it.
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Total Dependence (0): Each activity is either performed in entirety or not performed at all.
Who Is Eligible to do ADL Assessments?
Besides the trained personnel of the BUI, the ADL assessments can also be filled out by:
Conclusion:
And notably, several factors contribute to the credibility of the findings. ADL reports are effective in promoting and fostering the health and wellbeing of older adults. When these reports are adhered to with the help of medical caregivers, the old loved one is kept in a safe environment and cared for properly.
Caring for our senior loved ones can be done, and their basic needs met, if we join efforts.
