ADLs and IADLs
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
ADLs include self-care tasks that are needed for everyday such as taking a shower, getting dressed, hygiene care, going to the bathroom. These activities can be impacted if a client has an injury or disability. Independence in these activities is usually important for people and they can be selected as targets for treatment.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
IADLs are activities that are not self-care tasks but that are still important for an individual to be independent. These activities include cooking, driving, grocery shopping, and caring for children as well as other activities important to an individual's life but which they could delegate to another. Achieving independence in IADLs could also be a target for treatment.
Using Horse in Treatment to Promote Participation in ADLs/IADLs
EAT can be used in many different ways to help increase participation in ADL and IADL activities. Most ADLs and IADLs require the use of multiple skills including balance, motor control, sensory systems, and cognition. Working on these skills during a treatment session will often generalize to help to increase participation in many daily activities. The horse is a motivating tool that can be used to increase skill with functional activities. The list to the right includes many activities that can be performed during an EAT treatment session to improve daily activities with which that individuals may struggle.