Today our topic of discussion is Activities of Daily Living.
Activities of Daily Living
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are activities usually performed in the course of a normal day; they include ambulating, eating, dressing, bathing, brushing the teeth and grooming. Conditions resulting in the need for assistance with ADLs can be acute, chronic, temporary, permanent or rehabilitative. An acute disease is characterized by symptoms that are usually severe and are present for a relatively short time, usually less than 6 months (Fig. 24.4).
Episodes of acute disease results in recovery to a state of health activity comparable to the state before the disease, passage into a chronic phase of the disease, or death. For examples, the postoperative client who is unable to independently complete all ADLS, while progressing through the postoperative period, the client gradually depends less on nurses for completing ADLs.
A chronic disease persists longer. Although, the symptoms are usually less severe than those of the acute phase of the same disease, chronic disease may result in complete or partial disability. A client with partial disability or paralysis after a CVA may have a chronic impairment requiring long-term assistance in ADLs.
The clients need for assistance with ADLs may be temporary, permanent, or rehabilitative. In the case of temporary assistance with ADLs, the client needs assistance during a specific period. A client with impaired mobility because of bilateral arm casts has a temporary need for assistance.
After the casts are removed, the client will gradually assume responsibility for ADLs. However, a client with a total self-care deficit related to an irreversible injury high in the cervical spinal cord has a permanent need for assistance.
It is unrealistic for the nurse to plan a rehabilitation program with the goal that this client will be able to independently complete all ADLs. However, through restorative care, the client will learn new ways to perform ADLs, thus becoming more independent and better able to perform some self-care.
Through assessment, the nurse collects data that verify the need for assistance with ADLs. As the nurse analyzes this data, nursing diagnoses are formed into the relation to such assistance.
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