Daily activities, also referred to as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), are essential tasks that individuals need to perform daily to take care of themselves and maintain independence.
Tips & Links
Everyone performs daily activities, or activities of daily living (ADLs), to get through the day. A person diagnosed with a health condition or experiencing changes in their health or disabilities may struggle with these activities and need assistance.
- Personal hygiene: Bathing or showering, grooming (including hair care, shaving, and oral hygiene), toileting, and maintaining skin care routines.
- Dressing: Selecting appropriate clothing, putting it on, and fastening buttons or zippers.
- Feeding: Preparing meals, handling utensils, and feeding oneself independently.
- Mobility: Moving around the home safely, including walking, transferring from sitting to standing, and using mobility assistive devices like canes or walkers if necessary.
- Continence management: Maintaining control over bowel and bladder functions or managing incontinence with appropriate aids.
- Medication management: Organizing and taking medications at the right time and dosage.
- Household tasks: Performing light housekeeping chores such as tidying up, doing laundry, washing dishes, and managing finances.
- Communication: Engaging in effective verbal and non-verbal communication, including using phones, computers, or other devices to stay connected with others.
Find Support
- Reach out to your family or care partners as a first step explore when and how they can offer assistance in direct care as well as meal support, shopping and banking, and transportation.
- Share your need for personal boundaries and privacy and confidentiality from those you choose to help.
- Request a free home safety assessment and/or home care assessment to determine the level of support required for your daily activities provided by your health authority and the Government of BC.
- Explore available home care services to help maintain your current level of ADLs. The amount of publicly-funded home care hours is based on whether a person can perform the ADLs listed above.
Support For Caregivers
- Be aware that in many instances, family members become caregivers. Review the CaregiversBC website for information, guidance, and supports for family members who become caregivers.
- Learn about disability benefits that support family caregivers.
- Explore the extensive list of caregiver tips from Healthlink BC.
Open the Mywell Health activities Getting a Home Care Assessment, Changes in My Personal Needs, and My Home and Living Wishes in My Place to Call Home . Consider completing these activities with a family member or care partners to explore your current abilities and needs.