Activities of Daily Living

The performance of the basic activities of self care, such as dressing, ambulation, or eating. This definition is taken from the National Library of Medicine's MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) 2026 release, which is the standard vocabulary used to index PubMed and most medical literature.

Yes. Activities of Daily Living is also referred to as Activities, Daily Living, Activity, Daily Living, Daily Living Activities, Daily Living Activity in different clinical, research and patient-facing contexts. The MeSH descriptor groups all of these synonyms under a single canonical concept so research and records stay consistent.

Activities of Daily Living falls under the broader medical category "Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment" in the MeSH hierarchy (tree numbers: E02.760.169.063.500.067, E02.831.067, I03.050). Browsing the related concepts on this page takes you to neighbouring topics in the same branch of medicine.

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