Carerequiring

Carerequiring is a term used to describe individuals who require assistance, supervision, or ongoing medical or personal care to manage daily activities. It is not a standardized term with universal meaning; its interpretation varies across health and social care systems, datasets, and institutions.

In many contexts, carerequiring implies that a person cannot perform essential activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, or mobility without help, or requires support with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) like meal preparation, medication management, finances, or transportation. It may also denote a need for supervision or ongoing medical monitoring to ensure safety.

Reason for carerequiring can include physical disability, chronic illness, cognitive impairment, sensory limitations, or acute illness during recovery. Support can be provided by formal caregivers (nurses, aides, therapists) or informal caregivers (family, friends).

In policy and administration, carerequiring status is used to guide care planning, determine eligibility for social services or funding, and allocate resources. Assessment tools often quantify care needs with scales for ADLs/IADLs, cognitive function, and safety risk. Because there is no universal definition, different jurisdictions may label similar needs differently, such as “care needs,” “care dependency,” or “level of care required.”

See also: Activities of daily living, Instrumental activities of daily living, Caregiver, Long-term care, Disability.