Gériatrie
Autonomie
General medicine
The Lawton and Brody IADL scale assesses autonomy in instrumental activities of daily living. It helps document care needs and functional changes. It is neither a diagnosis of a neurocognitive disorder nor a simple self-test to be interpreted out of context.
Number of questions
8 questions
Approximate duration
10 to 15 minutes
Population
Elderly people
Modality
Professional interview and assessment, with the patient and/or a relative
CLINICIAN SCORE
Eight complex areas of activity necessary for independent living, scored 1 or 0 according to the scale descriptions. Instrumental activities should not be confused with the basic activities assessed by other scales.
Are you patient?
You or a loved one can gather information about daily activities. The assessment and scoring should then be reviewed with a professional, taking your environment into account.
Score interpretationIADL
The eight domains of instrumental activities of daily living are evaluated separately. Each domain is scored 1 if the person demonstrates independence corresponding to the criteria in the scale, or 0 if not. The total score ranges from 0 to 8: - 0: lack of independence in all eight instrumental activities assessed using this scale. - 8: independence in all eight evaluated activities. A score below 8 indicates limitations in one or more activities. The result alone does not measure overall independence across all activities of daily living.
Total score
First reading
0
to
0
No autonomy in the eight rated domains (score of 0).
1
to
7
Loss of autonomy in one or more areas (score from 1 to 7). There are no universal classes of dependence: domain-by-domain reading takes precedence over the total.
8
to
8
Autonomy in the eight rated domains (score of 8).
Historically, food preparation, housekeeping, and laundry were not evaluated in men (maximum score of 5). Here, all eight domains are evaluated for everyone; totals from different versions are not directly comparable.
The result depends on the living context and the information reported. Usual assistance can mask a difficulty, while an activity not performed does not always imply an incapacity. The scale alone does not assess cognitive functions, and its sensitivity to small changes remains limited.
Terms of contract
The assessment must distinguish between an inability to perform an activity and one that has never been carried out, is unnecessary, or is handled by family and friends. Documenting the respondent, the information source, and the available support makes the results more actionable.
Frequently asked questions
What does IADL stand for?
Does a score of 8 rule out cognitive impairment?
What are its limits?
Sources and references
M. Powell Lawton and Elaine M. Brody
Initial validation: The Gerontologist, 1969.
In practice
Full name
Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale
Method
Professional interview and assessment, with the patient and/or a relative
Language
French
Authors
M. Powell Lawton and Elaine M. Brody
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