Functional

Functional status describes what a person can do safely, how much assistance or cueing is required, and whether equipment is needed. It is not a synonym for age, diagnosis, or muscle strength. A patient may have pneumonia, for example, yet remain independent in self-care; another patient with the same pneumonia may become dependent because dyspnoea, weakness, delirium, or poor endurance prevents safe performance. Activities of daily living (ADLs) are basic self-care tasks: - bathing - dressing - toileting - transferring - continence - feeding Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are more complex tasks needed to live independently in the community, such as preparing meals, shopping, using transportation, managing medications, handling finances, and arranging communication. IADL difficulty may appear before dependence in basic ADLs, particularly when cognition, vision, executive function, or access to support is changing. The clinically meaningful question is not simply, “Is the patient independent?” Ask instead: What could this person do before the illness, what can they do today, and what prevents the task now? That comparison distinguishes a chronic limitation from an acute functional decline and...