Lorraine Poulos

6 Glossary of Terms Are routine activities that people tend to do every day without needing assistance. There are six basic ADLs: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and continence. There are also Instrumentals of Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) these are activities related to independent living and are valuable for evaluating persons with early-stage disease, both to assess the level of disease and to determine the person’s ability to care for himself or herself. These activities related to independent living also include preparing meals, managing money, shopping for groceries or personal items, performing light or heavy housework, doing laundry and using a telephone. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Advanced Care Directive: An advance healthcare directive, also known as a living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision is a document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken regarding their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. Assessments: These are an appraisal of a person’s current status sometimes compared to what is considered ‘normal’. Validated assessment tools are ones that have been measured with a large group of people and provide consistency of information. A person (usually unpaid) who has accepted responsibility for looking after a vulnerable relative, friend or neighbour. These are unpaid and can be family, friends, neighbours or any other key person known to the consumer. Carer: Guide for consumers, carers and workers