Why it is Important to Track Activities of Daily Living as a Caregiver

Whether you are a full-time carer or care for a family, you likely balance numerous responsibilities every day. And while the care that you provide differs depending on the needs of your loved one or client, one best practice you should consider is implementing tracking of their activities of daily living (ADL’s). Monitoring the care you provide each day can be helpful should your loved one or client have changes in their physical or mental status. Documenting each day might feel excessive and unnecessary, however it is incredibly important – and here is why:

Pick up on certain behaviors

Monitoring how your loved one or client is functioning each day and being aware of what is normal for him or her can help you pick up on slight changes. For instance, does he or she seem to avoid reaching for things in the kitchen above shoulder height? What could that mean? Is your loved one or client experiencing pain when lifting their arm above a certain height? You can pick up on little things like this that might alert you to an underlying physical issue.

The same goes for signs of mental health problems. If you notice your loved one or client disengaging from normal activity or self-isolating, you will want to determine the underlying reason. Picking up on certain behaviors, can afford you the opportunity to identify and address your loved one or client’s unmet needs.

Discover underlying medical issues

Documenting your loved one or client’s activities of daily activities can also be useful for tracking signs or symptoms of medical conditions. For example, you may take note of patterns with dietary intake. Or, make note that your loved one or client is needing to use the bathroom after every meal and deduce that there are digestive issues. You are then able to contact someone like Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, a digestive health specialist, who could help diagnose the problem. Your documentation may help uncover a serious medical issue that can be addressed. Always keep an eye out for changes and report them to your loved one or client’s primary physician.

Identify the need for additional care services

Lastly, documenting changes in your loved one or client’s activities of daily living may help you identify the need for additional care services. For example, if the person you’re looking after starts getting out of bed slower and slower each day. Eventually, you might determine that they need your help to get them up and ready for the day. The decline might continue to the point where even your help is not enough. You can share your documentation of physical changes with other family members and the doctor and together determine if your loved one or client needs special equipment to help them out of bed, or possibly physiotherapy services for improved strength.

Be consistent with your documentation and always report any changes in your loved one or client’s mental or physical condition to the primary doctor.