When everyday tasks become difficult, the right support can help an older adult remain comfortable, respected, and involved in daily life. Activities of daily living assistance provides hands-on, non-medical help with essential routines such as bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, walking, and getting in or out of a bed or chair.
Activities of daily living for seniors are the basic self-care tasks a person performs throughout the day. They are often called ADLs.
Common ADLs include:
The National Center for Biotechnology Information describes basic ADLs as the skills needed to manage physical needs such as hygiene, dressing, toileting, mobility, and eating.
A person does not have to be completely unable to perform an activity before assistance becomes helpful. Some seniors can complete part of a routine but need reminders, supervision, steadying support, setup help, or hands-on assistance with specific steps.
The amount of help may also vary from day to day. One person may need assistance only with bathing and dressing, while another may require support with several routines throughout the day.
The main difference in ADLs vs IADLs is that ADLs involve basic personal care, while instrumental activities of daily living involve more complex tasks needed to manage a household and live independently in the community.
Examples of ADLs include:
Examples of IADLs include:
The National Center for Biotechnology Information explains that IADLs include activities such as cooking, cleaning, transportation, laundry, and managing finances.
Nana Cares may assist with certain IADLs when they are part of an approved care plan and connected to the client’s comfort, routine, or safety. Examples include simple meal preparation, personal laundry, light tidying, organization, supervised errands, and medication reminders.
Nana Cares does not manage bank accounts, provide financial advice, administer medications, or operate as a stand-alone cleaning or transportation company.
The common ADLs seniors need help with often involve routines that require balance, strength, coordination, endurance, or several steps completed in the correct order.
Bathing is a frequent concern because it may involve entering a shower, standing on a wet surface, reaching different parts of the body, drying off, and getting dressed afterward. Families seeking more guidance can review bathing assistance for elderly adults at home.
Dressing may become difficult when a person struggles with buttons, zippers, socks, shoes, bending, or choosing clothing appropriate for the weather.
Toileting support may involve getting to the bathroom, adjusting clothing, sitting and standing when appropriate, completing hygiene routines, and washing hands. Families can learn more about toileting assistance for seniors at home.
Eating assistance can include preparing a simple meal, opening containers, arranging food within reach, providing reminders, or offering appropriate feeding assistance under a non-medical care plan.
Mobility assistance may involve walking beside the person, offering steadying support, supervising movement through the home, or helping with an appropriate transfer. Mobility and transfer assistance for seniors at home should always remain within the caregiver’s training, care plan, and safe handling guidelines.
Signs an elderly parent needs help with ADLs usually appear as changes in familiar routines rather than one isolated incident.
Watch for patterns such as:
Families should pay attention to changes in frequency, not just whether the parent can complete a task once. A person who can bathe only with considerable effort, fear, or exhaustion may still need support.
Sudden, unexplained, or rapidly worsening changes should be discussed with a healthcare provider. New weakness, confusion, dizziness, severe pain, difficulty breathing, or changes following a fall may require medical evaluation. Call 911 when there is an immediate danger or medical emergency.
In-home ADL assistance is personalized, non-medical support provided where the client lives. The exact tasks depend on the person’s abilities, preferences, care plan, and safety needs.
A caregiver may provide:
Care should support the person’s remaining abilities rather than automatically taking over every task. For example, a client may wash their face independently while the caregiver helps with areas that are difficult to reach. Another person may choose their clothing while receiving assistance with buttons or shoes.
Before services begin, the agency should learn which tasks are difficult, how much help is needed, whether any equipment is used, and whether the requested assistance can be performed safely.
Nana Cares’ personal care services in Indianapolis are non-medical. Caregivers do not provide skilled nursing, wound care, injections, therapy, medical assessments, medication administration, or unsafe manual lifting.
Personal care provides hands-on help with body-related daily activities, while companion care focuses primarily on social interaction, supervision, reminders, and maintaining a steady routine.
Personal care may include:
Companion care may include:
A parent who is physically able to bathe and dress but spends long periods alone may benefit primarily from companion care. A parent who cannot safely complete bathing, toileting, or dressing without hands-on help may need personal care.
Some people benefit from both. A caregiver may provide personal assistance during the morning routine and companionship, meal support, and supervision during the rest of the visit.
The guide to personal care or companion care for an elderly parent can help families compare the two services more closely.
Neither service replaces skilled medical care. A caregiver may offer medication reminders, but Nana Cares does not choose medications, change dosages, administer medication, or evaluate side effects.
Yes. An in-home caregiver can provide caregiver help with daily living tasks such as bathing, toileting, dressing, grooming, walking, and appropriate transfers when those tasks are included in the care plan and can be completed safely.
Bathing support may include preparing clothing and supplies, helping with washing and drying, offering supervision, and assisting with dressing afterward.
Toileting support may include helping the person reach the bathroom, adjust clothing, sit or stand when appropriate, complete hygiene routines, and wash their hands.
Mobility support may include walking beside the client, supervising movement through the home, offering steadying help, or assisting with an approved transfer.
Caregivers should not perform transfers that require unsafe lifting, unapproved equipment, clinical judgment, or more physical support than one caregiver can safely provide. Families should not assume that every transfer can be managed by a non-medical caregiver.
The CDC notes that falls can affect an older adult’s ability to remain independent. Home care cannot guarantee that a fall will not occur, but caregiver supervision, attention to the care environment, and help with appropriate routines may support fall risk awareness.
New difficulty walking, standing, or transferring should be discussed with a healthcare provider, especially when it follows a fall or appears suddenly.
ADL assistance for aging in place can help fill the gap between complete independence and moving to a residential care setting.
Aging in place means continuing to live in one’s own home or community as needs change. The National Institute on Aging identifies personal care, household assistance, meal support, transportation, and safety planning as services that may help older adults remain at home.
Regular assistance can help maintain:
The goal is not to remove the older adult’s independence. A good care plan identifies what the person can continue doing and where help is actually needed.
For example, a client may prepare part of a meal but need help carrying items. Another may walk independently in some rooms but need supervision during bathing. Care can be adjusted around the person rather than forcing every client into the same routine.
Families considering senior home care in Indianapolis should think about current needs as well as what would make the routine sustainable for everyone involved.
ADL assistance does not replace medical monitoring. A healthcare provider should evaluate sudden functional changes, unexplained weight changes, new confusion, repeated falls, significant pain, or worsening health concerns.
The cost of ADL assistance in Indianapolis depends on the provider, number of hours, care tasks, visit frequency, time of day, weekends, overnight needs, payment source, and whether services require special scheduling.
The 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey reported a national median of $35 per hour for a non-medical caregiver. This is a national benchmark, not a quote for Nana Cares or a guaranteed Indianapolis rate.
Families should ask each agency about:
Nana Cares currently requires a four-hour minimum per visit and 20 hours per week for hourly services. Overnight and weekend options are available, while 24-hour and holiday requests require a customized discussion and quote.
Families seeking a more detailed breakdown can review the cost of activities of daily living assistance in Indianapolis.
Payment may come from private funds, long-term care insurance, authorized Medicaid waiver services, or other approved benefits, depending on the person’s eligibility and policy.
Original Medicare generally does not pay for personal care such as bathing, dressing, or toileting when that is the only care needed, according to Medicare.gov. Medicare Advantage benefits and private insurance plans vary, so families should contact the plan directly.
Indiana Medicaid home and community-based programs may authorize attendant care for eligible individuals. The Indiana Medicaid website explains that eligibility, level-of-care requirements, authorized services, and the individual plan of care determine what may be covered.
Nana Cares cannot guarantee coverage or authorization. Families should confirm benefits with the insurer, case manager, managed care entity, or program administrator.
The first step in arranging personal care services in Indianapolis is to identify which daily activities are difficult and when help is needed.
Before contacting Nana Cares, consider:
When speaking with an agency, ask about its non-medical scope, caregiver screening, training, supervision, minimum hours, availability, care planning, replacement process, and response to service concerns.
Nana Cares begins with an inquiry and intake discussion, followed by a free needs assessment. The agency then develops a personalized care plan, works to match an appropriate caregiver, confirms scheduling and availability, and begins services once arrangements are complete.
Start dates depend on caregiver availability and any required authorization. Families should avoid waiting for a crisis when they already see a consistent need for help.
The conversation should include the older adult whenever possible. Ask what routines feel most difficult, what help would feel acceptable, how the person prefers tasks to be completed, and what would help them feel comfortable with a caregiver in the home.
When bathing, dressing, toileting, meals, walking, or transfers are becoming harder, you do not have to determine the entire care plan alone.
Nana Cares LLC provides respectful, non-medical activities of daily living assistance for seniors and adults with disabilities in Indianapolis and surrounding Central Indiana communities. During a free needs assessment, the team can discuss daily routines, hands-on care needs, scheduling, caregiver matching, service minimums, payment options, and whether the requested tasks fit an appropriate non-medical care plan.
Call Nana Cares at 317-998-0293 or contact the intake team to begin a calm, practical conversation about support at home.
Compassionate, non-medical in-home care for seniors and adults with disabilities across Central Indiana.
Nana Cares provides personal care, homemaker services, companion care, respite care, and overnight support with a warm, professional approach.