Assessing Activities of Daily Living- Toileting

A third activity of daily living is toileting. A geriatric care management assesses a client by using a Katz ADL scale and speaking to the older person and their family or care provider. A client who needs assistance getting on and off the toilet because of physical problems may also need a referral for a home health aide. This also comes under the ADL of transfer. Installing a raised toilet seat or adding a grab bar next to the toilet may help to keep this person independent. If a person has difficulty getting to the toilet, for example, at night, having a commode next to the bed may allow him or her to toilet safely alone without waking a caregiver. In addition, if in a review of medications the care manager notes that the person is taking a diuretic in the afternoon and getting up frequently to toilet at night, a change to a morning dosage can be suggested to the person’s physician.