Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Activities of daily living are daily tasks we do to get through the day.
What are activities of daily living?
Activities of Daily living (also called ADLs) are needed skills across the lifespan and Occupational Therapists love to help build independent or support strategies for all ADLs.
Some ADLs include self-care skills such as bathing, dressing, toileting and tooth brushing.
Other ADLs a young person may engage in include shopping and preparing food.
How can an Occupational Therapist help?
Occupational Therapists can help by completing routines-based interviews and understanding a person’s daily life and activities through thorough assessment to uncover their strengths and challenges. This information informs goals that are achievable and family-focussed.
In occupational therapy we help people to develop the skills they need to become more independent with their daily activities. We also support people and families to advocate and seek appropriate equipment and physical support for ADLs where independence may not be an achievable short-term goal.
Occupational Therapists support people to learn the skills they need for each goal (eg. to dress themselves) through different intervention strategies and generalising these into other settings (eg. changing into swimming togs at school).
Other related services
