Overview
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the fundamental self-care tasks that people perform routinely to live independently, classically comprising bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, continence, feeding, and functional mobility or transferring. They are distinguished from instrumental activities of daily living, such as managing medication, finances, and household tasks, which require more complex cognition and organization. In clinical and occupational and environmental medicine, ADLs serve as a practical measure of functional status, used to quantify disability, determine care needs, plan rehabilitation, and monitor recovery or decline across conditions affecting older adults and people with chronic disease. Performance depends on the integration of motor strength, balance, sensory function, and cognition, so impairment may signal musculoskeletal, neurological, or cognitive disorders and predicts adverse outcomes including falls, institutionalization, and loss of autonomy. Standardized indices and assistive technologies support objective assessment and intervention. Research relevant to this area examines functional and nutritional assessment in long-term care, reduced physical activity in chronic disease, the effects of neurological and cognitive disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease on adaptive skills, and assistive and cognitive-behavioural programs that promote independence. The journal publishes peer-reviewed studies on functional status, disability, rehabilitation, and the determinants of independent living in aging and clinical populations.
Research published in this journal
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
How this research is being cited
The 12 articles above have been cited 88 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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2026 · Journal of NeuroVirology
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2026 · PLOS One
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2025 · International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
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Olukorede Patricia Adisa et al. · 2025 · International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
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2024 · British Journal of Haematology
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2024 · British Journal of Haematology
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2024 · PLOS Pathogens
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Rizki Fitryasari et al. · 2024 · Jurnal Ners
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Activities of Daily Living, linking to each citing work.