BADL

Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) refers to the fundamental self-care tasks that an individual must perform to live independently. BADL is a common measure of functional status in aging populations and in clinical assessments following illness or injury. It is often contrasted with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), which require higher levels of planning, judgment, and cognitive ability.

Typical BADLs include bathing or showering, dressing, grooming, toileting, transferring (such as moving from bed to chair), continence, and feeding. Some frameworks also consider basic mobility or functional transfers as part of BADL or as a closely related domain.

Assessment tools used to evaluate BADLs include widely adopted scales such as the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living and the Barthel Index. These tools rate each activity for independence or dependence, generating an overall score that reflects the level of functional independence. Results help determine the need for assistance, home-care services, rehabilitation targets, or admission to long-term care facilities, and they are frequently used as outcome measures in clinical studies.

Applications of BADL assessment span geriatrics, neurology, rehabilitation, and chronic disease management. They aid in monitoring functional decline or improvement, guiding care planning, and tracking response to therapy or interventions.

Limitations of BADL measures include their focus on basic self-care without capturing more complex tasks required for independent living, potential cultural or environmental influences on performance, and the possibility that individuals may perform BADLs with support or safety concerns that are not captured by a simple independence/dependence rating.