Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADLI): Proposal of a new instrument and preliminary data

Abstract

The evaluation of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) has become a critical issue in neuropsychology, but existing instruments for evaluating ADL have some limitations. This work aims to propose a new instrument to evaluate ADL, the ADL Inventory (ADLI), for which we present preliminary data. The ADLI was developed based on a comprehensive model of the stages of test development and following a combined framework of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the American Occupational Therapy Association models. Besides sociodemographic information, ADLI includes 144 items, organized into four sections: (a) basic ADL; (b) IADL; (c) advanced ADL; and (d) factors influencing functionality. The main characteristics of ADLI are: having self- and informant-report forms; including items focused on different sensory and neurocognitive functions; individualizing the progression along items considering the person’s functionality; considering the impact of several factors on functionality; and using a large response scale. Preliminary data of predictive and convergent validity for ADLI are presented. The preliminary study comprised 15 older adults. The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination – III, the Barthel Index, and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale were applied to determine the predictive and convergent validity of ADLI.