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Activities of daily living
A patient is encouraged to be able to perform activities of daily living so that he/she can be as independent as possible. To make sure that a patient can correctly perform activities of daily living, checklists are often used during the patient's stay in the hospital. If the patient cannot correctly perform activities of daily living, arrangements need to be made for the patient to receive assistance from others, such as family members or nursing home staff. The term "activities of daily living" is commonly abbreviated as ADL. When someone asks what a patients ADLs are like, they are asking about the person activities of daily living.
The activities that one performs in the course of everyday living such as eating, dressing, brushing one's teeth, going to the bathroom, or bathing. Activities of daily living can be impaired by many causes, such as accidents and long-term, reoccurring illnesses. This impairment can be permanent or temporary. The impairment can be improved by teaching the patient new ways to accomplish the activities or by relearning the activities.
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