Most of us go about our regular daily activities without so much as a second thought. We make the kids’ lunches, toss a load in the washing machine, make a dental appointment, etc. We take care of the details of everyday living and without even consciously realizing it, we are breezing through these tasks and errands and responsibilities as if they’re second nature—because they are…until they’re not.

As we face the possibility of caring for and/or arranging care for our aging loved ones, there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to our personal threshold for what we consider acceptable in terms of honoring their independence versus their declining abilities. For many of us, watching our parents and other loved ones age almost sneaks up on us. It’s like you see it happening right before your eyes, but you either write it off as a minor misstep or you just don’t want to believe what’s happening in plain sight. It’s hard, after all, to watch people you’ve known all your life become less vibrant versions of themselves. (After all, we think: if it can happen to them, it could happen to us.)

Fortunately, researchers and those committed to studying the aging process have gone to great lengths to provide generally-recognized standards of assessment to refer to when contemplating the level of caregiving needed for your aging loved one. While not exhaustive, these guidelines can be tremendously helpful in providing basic benchmarks against which to compare your loved one’s abilities versus needs.

The two primary classifications of aging abilities can be divided into activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Understanding the difference between these two levels can mean a world of difference in the options available, the costs associated with, and the services needed to best care for your aging parent. As a starting point in the caregiving journey, our professionals at Mom’s Best Friend are trained at walking you through these benchmarks as they relate specifically to your loved one, their current living arrangement, and what will ultimately serve them and you best. As a group, our team has faced these decisions before and we’re oh-so-quick to recognize all that goes in to arriving at this point. (There’s so many variables!) The feelings and emotions, likely siblings—each with their own take on what is ‘the best’ solution, the finances, the viability of your loved one remaining in their own home, and possibly the most important factor—maintaining the wishes of the one needing the assistance insofar as possible with honor and integrity. Some days, it can literally feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulders—all for you to decide, all for you to finance, and all for you to manage and coordinate.

But there’s help available…

When you partner with Mom’s Best Friend, our caregiving professionals specialize in just this area—all the unique needs that come with caring for aging individuals. We know the steps to take and we will walk you through each of them—at your pace, on your timeline, and as needs arise. We will present tried and true assessments with an objective perspective and a compassionate heart. We’ll help you evaluate and prioritize the needs, wants, and options uniquely available to you and your loved one. We’ll minimize what’s asked of you and simplify and streamline the process as much as possible from where you are to where you want to be. In return for your trust, we pledge to you our efforts to secure the most excellent and trustworthy caregivers we know of for your cherished loved one.

The Primary Difference Between ADL and IADLs

Because ADLs are the more simplistic tasks necessary for personal care and essential for daily living, declines in these areas tend to become more evident in the mid-to-later stages of physical and mental decline. On the other hand, IADLs are considerably more complex, oftentimes involving lots of sequential processes (think cooking) and necessary preliminary steps before even attempting the process (think grocery shopping—planning meals, determining needs, driving to/from the store, purchasing the groceries, storing goods appropriately – i.e. refrigerator, freezer). Because these are multi-step activities, it is sometimes easy to deflect shortcomings in this category earlier. For example, your loved one forgets basil for a specific recipe—no big deal, right? Who hasn’t overlooked the occasional ingredient in the busyness of a crowded grocery store? But forgetting how to get to the neighborhood grocery store or questioning why they’re even going—substantial lapses like these can often be early indicators of a cognitive decline and a decrease in IADL competency.

As a starting point, it is helpful to understand both basic and instrumental activities of daily living contribute to identifying a person’s functional status. It is also important to keep in mind that all functional abilities (both ADLs and IADLs) will undoubtedly vary from person to person and cross categorical lines. For example, someone who relies on a walker to get around and may not be cleared for driving, but has total functional ability in terms of cooking simple meals, basic self-care, management of their personal finances, and computer work may simply need transportation support. The point—just because their legs require assistance, doesn’t necessarily mean other faculties are suffering.

Conversely, someone suffering from dementia may be able to still perform all seemingly normal physical activities for someone of their age, but be totally ill equipped to operate a microwave, a car, or even the television remote. Significant cognitive impairment can, and often does, coexist within an able-bodied individual, but caregiving is still considered a necessity for safety’s sake.

Understanding Instrumental Activities for Daily Living (IADLs)

There are eight primary categories seniors are traditionally evaluated within when determining a senior’s level of care needed to continue living independently. Each of these categories calls for varying levels of physical and mental engagement and each is vitally important in order for individuals to remain in their home—assisted or otherwise.

The eight IADL categories as determined by the widely accepted Lawton-Brody Scale include

1. Communicating – can the individual use a telephone and/or computer to communicate? This includes making a call, answering an incoming call, possibly opening and reading and/or sending emails if this has been a regular part of their life previously.
2. Shopping – can the individual identify and shop for all that is necessary for everyday life such as groceries, toiletries, household products, and clothing? This requires knowing which retailer supplies which kind of goods and services. If driving is an issue, and the individual can efficiently use a computer or phone, this category can be easily managed through delivery apps and individual grocery and big box retailers.
3. Managing medications – Can the individual keep track of what medication to take and when to take it? Competency in this area is extremely important, especially considering the multiple prescriptions most seniors have.
4. Cooking – can the individual prepare simple meals as needed? These don’t need to be complicated recipes and can be simply heating previously prepared meals as directed, possibly making a sandwich, scrambling some eggs, and the like. Meal delivery services can be of tremendous assistance in this area, providing pre-measured ingredients for cooking or pre-made meals that just need to be heated.
5. Housekeeping – can this person maintain basic everyday upkeep? Trash is emptied, dishes are washed and put away, clutter is kept to a minimum. If more in depth cleaning is needed, a cleaning person can be hired.
6. Laundry – can this individual be responsible for the laundering of their own clothing, towels, and sheets? As with the housekeeping, if cleaning personnel are regularly scheduled due to want or need, this is not necessarily an issue.
7. Transportation – can this person drive or manage public transportation or are they comfortable with ride service providers? Uber, Lyft, and other local providers can simplify a senior’s transportation issues if they’re comfortable utilizing the apps.
8. Money management – can this individual manage their personal finances, both regarding daily living expenses and long-term planning efforts? This should include overseeing account balances and income and expenses activities, bill payments, and budgeting for emergencies.

Being able to function in each of these areas is important to all of us—especially as we grow older. But for seniors, how well they can operate within each of these areas can have a significant impact on their quality of living. Some of these deficiencies present as simple inconveniences and are easily compensated for by minimal effort on the part of family members. Other shortcomings can become actual threats to the individual’s physical and mental well-being.

By assessing your senior loved one’s abilities across these objective benchmarks and keeping track of symptom progression, family members are better able to determine if their loved one can continue to live at home with competent and trained assistance. Senior care specialists generally recommend making an initial assessment at the earliest signs of decline. Although your elderly loved one may not need assistance yet, this first review serves as a baseline from which to measure future abilities. Knowing where you start and comparing it against abilities possibly a year or two later removes the guesswork from where they were operating versus where they are now.

At Mom’s Best Friend, we are uniquely trained to help you with the ongoing journey of providing in-home care for your senior family member as long as it is feasible for both you and them. We know the initial steps and evaluations to take and the next steps based on the assessment results. It is a process, to be sure—one that calls for a compassionate blend of heart and hand to make these major decisions.

We are the first to recognize that making these arrangements—in-home care for your valued senior loved one—is one of life’s big moments. It can have far-reaching benefits for everyone involved and can mean the difference between a minimal standard of living and a thriving lifestyle for the one in need of assistance. We know it’s a decision not to be taken lightly.

We understand the deep need to ‘get it right’ and also recognize how very fluid ongoing in-home care can be—a moving target of sorts. To meet these many and often-changing needs, we have an extensive network of resources and personnel that can serve your loved one with honor and integrity and give you the peace of mind to know they’re receiving exceptional care.

We know it’s not just anyone you’re seeking care for. It’s your mom, your dad, your special someone. Caring for the elderly members of our community is a calling we cheerfully accept. At Mom’s Best Friend Senior and Elder Care, we’re here for all the days, all the needs, and all the opportunities to serve you and your loved one in the best possible manner. Our services are available across the DFW Metroplex, in cities like Dallas, Highland Park, University Park, Plano, Frisco, Southlake, Flower Mound, Argyle, and more.

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About Our Agency

We are on a mission! From our very first interaction, we strive to provide compassionate care, going above and beyond anticipation to alleviate families of their feelings of guilt and stress. Through every stage of the planning process, we’re doing our utmost to make your senior loved ones’ later years into their greater years. Through our inspired care process, we ensure the inclusion of respite care in Dallas while also imparting the necessary tools and guidance to meet your family’s needs.

Beyond the heartwarming stories and lasting connections, our goal is to inspire more positive caregiving and life balance for future senior generations.