Assistive Technology for Daily Living and ADLs

OVERVIEW

Activities of daily living, often shortened to ADLs, are the routine activities people carry out to look after themselves. They are commonly grouped into basic activities such as dressing, grooming, bathing, toileting, eating, and moving around, and instrumental activities such as preparing meals, managing medication, doing laundry, shopping, handling money, using the telephone, and getting around the community.

Assistive technology for daily living covers the tools people use to carry out these activities more independently, more safely, or with less effort. Much of it is inexpensive and low technology. Some of it is electronic. This page describes categories and considerations rather than recommending products, and it does not provide medical or therapeutic advice.

WHO MAY BENEFIT

Daily living technology may be relevant to people with limited hand strength, grip, or dexterity, limited reach or range of motion, reduced endurance, tremor or reduced coordination, low vision or blindness, hearing differences, cognitive or memory differences, chronic pain, or conditions that fluctuate day to day.

These tools are used by people of every age. A person recovering from surgery, a working adult managing a long term condition, a child developing independence, and an older adult staying in their own home may all use the same categories of equipment for different reasons.

LOW TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRONIC OPTIONS

Daily living technology spans a wide range of complexity. Low technology items have no electronics, are usually inexpensive, need no setup or charging, and often fail gracefully. Electronic and connected options can do more, and can be operated remotely or by voice, but they introduce setup, power, connectivity, maintenance, and privacy considerations.

Neither category is inherently better. A great deal of daily living difficulty is resolved with simple equipment, and starting simple is frequently the fastest route to something a person will actually use. Low Cost Assistive Technology covers lower cost and built in options in more depth.

DRESSING

Common categories include long handled dressing aids and dressing sticks, sock and stocking aids, long handled shoe horns, button hooks and zipper pulls, elastic or coiled shoelaces and alternative fastenings, and clothing designed with adaptive fastenings in place of small buttons or rear zippers.

Selection usually depends on which part of the task is difficult, for example reaching the feet, managing small fasteners, or maintaining balance while standing.

GROOMING AND PERSONAL CARE

Categories include long handled brushes, combs, and sponges, built up or weighted handles for grip and tremor, wall mounted or suction dispensers, electric toothbrushes and razors that reduce the movement required, magnifying and lighted mirrors, and nail care tools designed for one handed use.

Bathing and toileting equipment, including grab bars, shower seats, transfer benches, and raised toilet seats, is closely related and frequently involves home modification. Housing and Home Accessibility covers the home environment side of this in more depth.

Placement and installation of bathroom equipment has genuine safety implications. Grab bars in particular need to be mounted into structure that can carry load, and this is generally not a guesswork task.

EATING AND DRINKING

Categories include built up, weighted, angled, or swivel utensils, plate guards, scoop dishes and high sided plates, non slip mats and suction bases, cups with lids, handles, or cut out rims that allow drinking without tipping the head back, and one handed or stabilizing equipment.

Some eating equipment is used for stability, some for grip, some for reducing spills, and some to reduce the range of motion required. Difficulty with chewing or swallowing is a clinical matter and is outside the scope of this page. Anyone with concerns in that area should speak to a qualified clinician.

MEAL PREPARATION AND KITCHEN TASKS

Categories include jar and bottle openers, including under cabinet and electric openers, rocker knives and adapted cutting boards, pan holders and stabilizers, kettle and pot tippers, reachers for high or low storage, and appliances with tactile, large print, or speech output controls.

Appliance safety features matter here, including automatic shut off on kettles and cookers, and timers that can be heard or seen from elsewhere in the home. Kitchen tasks frequently combine several demands at once, including standing tolerance, grip, reach, sequencing, and timing, which is why difficulty in the kitchen is often addressed with a combination of equipment and routine changes.

HOUSEHOLD TASKS

Categories include long handled reachers and grabbers, lightweight and self propelled or robotic cleaning equipment, laundry aids such as reaching tools and sorting systems, adapted door handles and lever fittings, key turners and adapted locks, and tools that reduce bending, kneeling, or lifting.

Energy management is a recurring theme. Where a condition involves fatigue, the aim is often to reduce the total effort a task requires rather than to eliminate the task.

MEDICATION AND ROUTINE SUPPORTS

Categories include organizers and pill boxes, including versions designed for low vision or limited dexterity, timers and alarms, automated dispensing devices, pill splitters and openers, and reminder features built into phones and smart speakers.

Medication routines sit at the intersection of daily living, memory, and safety. Assistive Technology for Memory and Cognition covers reminders, prompting, and orientation supports in more depth. Decisions about medication management itself, including what to take and when, belong with the prescribing clinician or pharmacist and are not addressed here.

ORGANIZATION AND FINDING THINGS

Categories include consistent storage locations, labeling including large print, tactile, and braille labeling, contrasting colors to make items easier to locate, item finding tags and trackers, and reduced clutter on frequently used surfaces.

These supports reduce how much a person has to search for or remember. They are inexpensive, and they frequently make other equipment easier to use by making it easier to find.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACCESS AND SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY

Environmental control technology allows a person to operate lights, outlets, doors, blinds, thermostats, media, and other equipment without physically reaching them. Access may be by voice, switch, app, remote, or automated routine.

This can substantially extend independence for people with limited mobility or reach. It also introduces reliability, network, privacy, and setup considerations, and it is not a substitute for accessible design of the home itself. Environmental Control and Smart Home Accessibility covers this area in more depth.

COMMUNICATION AND ACCESS TOOLS THAT SUPPORT DAILY INDEPENDENCE

Daily independence frequently depends on being able to communicate, read, and operate everyday devices. Relevant categories covered elsewhere on this site include Communication and AAC for people who use augmentative and alternative communication, Hearing Access Technology, Reading Assistive Technology, Mobile Device Accessibility, and Vision and Low Vision resources including screen readers and magnification.

Daily living tools and access tools are often used together, for example a labeled and organized kitchen combined with a phone based magnifier for reading package instructions.

MOBILITY RELATED ACCESS WITHIN DAILY ACTIVITIES

Many daily activities depend on getting to them. Transfers, standing tolerance, reach from a seated position, and carrying items while using a mobility device all affect which daily living tools make sense.

Wheelchairs and Mobility Equipment covers mobility device categories, and Seating, Positioning, and Pressure Management covers how seated position affects reach and access. Where a person carries out tasks from a seated position, counter heights, storage heights, and clear floor space frequently matter as much as the equipment itself.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Daily living equipment interacts with real physical risk, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens and particularly where transfers, heat, water, or sharp tools are involved. General points worth being aware of include weight limits and load ratings, secure mounting for anything that bears weight, non slip surfaces, equipment condition and wear, and whether equipment is being used for its intended purpose.

Equipment that compensates for a change in strength, balance, or sensation is not a substitute for finding out why that change happened. A new or sudden difficulty with everyday activities is a reason to speak to a clinician.

TRIALS AND TRYING EQUIPMENT BEFORE COMMITTING

Daily living equipment is often inexpensive enough to try, which is an advantage. Even so, trying equipment in the actual environment and at the actual task is more informative than reading specifications, because handle size, weight, counter height, and the person's own technique all affect whether something works.

State Assistive Technology Act programs, coordinated nationally through the AT3 Center, frequently operate device demonstration, short term device loan, and reuse programs. Availability and equipment categories vary by state.

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND CONTEXT

The same activity can break down for different reasons, and the reason determines what helps. Difficulty opening a jar may reflect grip strength, pain, coordination, or a combination. Difficulty preparing a meal may reflect standing tolerance, sequencing, vision, or fatigue.

This is why general lists of equipment are a starting point rather than an answer, and why occupational therapists are frequently involved in this area. AT Assessment and Selection describes the general framework this site uses for matching a person, a task, an environment, and an access method.

FUNDING AND RESOURCE PATHWAYS

Funding for daily living equipment varies considerably by item and by program. Some equipment is treated as durable medical equipment under health coverage, some is funded through home and community based services, vocational rehabilitation, veterans programs, or school systems depending on context, and a great deal is purchased directly because individual items are inexpensive.

State Assistive Technology Act programs may offer loan programs, reuse programs, and financing options. Funding Assistive Technology and Assistive Technology Funding Systems explain these pathways at a general level. Nothing here should be read as a statement that a particular item will be covered for a particular person.

WHEN AN AT EVALUATION MAY HELP

An evaluation may be helpful when several pieces of equipment have been tried without success, when more than one activity is affected, when safety is a concern, when needs are changing, when equipment must work across several environments, or when it is unclear which part of an activity is actually the barrier.

AUTHORITATIVE RESOURCES

• MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, Assistive Devices, for a general overview of assistive device categories across mobility, personal care, eating, cognition, and the environment

• Administration for Community Living, Assistive Technology, for the Assistive Technology Act, state AT programs, device demonstration, loan, reuse, and state financing

• AT3 Center, National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance Center, for locating state assistive technology programs and services

• ADA.gov, for information about disability rights and access in public accommodations and community settings

This list is a curated starting point, not a complete bibliography.

RELATED ASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY.ORG RESOURCES

For remaining safely and independently at home, see Assistive Technology for Aging in Place. For reminders, prompting, and orientation supports, see Assistive Technology for Memory and Cognition. For automated and voice controlled home technology, see Environmental Control and Smart Home Accessibility. For lower cost and built in options, see Low Cost Assistive Technology. For home modification and the built environment at home, see Housing and Home Accessibility. For the general evaluation framework, see AT Assessment and Selection. For funding pathways, see Funding Assistive Technology.

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page is provided for general educational purposes and is maintained by Accessibility Clinic, Inc. Daily living needs vary widely from person to person, and the information here does not constitute an individualized assistive technology evaluation. It is not medical, therapeutic, or occupational therapy advice. For an individualized evaluation, see AssistiveTechnologyEvaluations.org.