- Developed to assess the complex activities of daily living (ADLs) for older adults living in the community. It assesses a person’s ability to perform tasks such as using a telephone, doing laundry, and handling finances.
- Each ability measured by the scale relies on either cognitive or physical function, though all require some degree of both.
Clinical Considerations
- The IADL is an easy to administer and provides various response options for each item enabling flexibility when scoring. It measures more complex (instrumental) levels of functioning than other ADL instruments. The IADL scale is therefore likely to be more sensitive in detecting earlier, less severe dysfunction.
- The content of IADL measures often reflects specific cultural concerns. For example, British measures frequently include the ability to make a cup of tea. There is also potential for gender bias as the scale may overemphasize tasks customarily performed by women and thus overestimate dependency in men.
- Only one study, with findings of weak construct validity, has been performed to test the IADL psychometric properties among an SCI population
ICF Domain
Activity ▶ General Tasks and Demands