At what age do seniors need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) usually depends on their health status. However, a longer lifespan for many people means a decline in health and the inability to perform ADLs independently.
Research shows that two-thirds of aging Americans older than 65 need assistance doing day-to-day activities such as eating, bathing, cooking, moving around, etc.
Almost half of Americans aged 85 or older have Alzheimer’s or some other type of dementia. As a result, they are typically wholly dependent on others for medical care and meeting their daily needs.
The National Health and Aging Trends Study on more than 8,000 seniors suggest that 31 percent of aging adults are mobile and can perform activities of daily living without any help. At the same time, 25 percent of seniors are mobile but require home modifications and home devices to perform all ADLs. Eighteen percent of study participants say they have difficulty staying mobile and performing ADLs even with the home modifications and helpful devices.
