ADL

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

ADL
Stands forActivities of daily living
Meanings2
CategoriesMedical, Organizations & Companies

ADL has two meanings. It stands for Activities of daily living (rehabilitation) or Anti-Defamation League (nonprofit).

Meanings of ADL at a glance

#ADL stands forContext
1Activities of daily livingMedical › Rehabilitation
2Anti-Defamation LeagueOrganizations & Companies › Nonprofit

1. Activities of daily living

Medical · Rehabilitation Abbreviations

Basic self-care tasks people perform every day: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence and feeding. Ability to perform ADLs independently is a central measure in rehabilitation, geriatrics, discharge planning and long-term care eligibility.

Example: Pt requires Mod A for lower body ADLs, Min A for toileting, independent with feeding.

The six basic ADLs come from the Katz Index developed by Sidney Katz in 1963; the Barthel Index (1965) is another common scale. US tax-qualified long-term care insurance generally pays benefits when a person cannot perform at least two of six ADLs for an expected 90 days, or has severe cognitive impairment. Occupational therapists lead ADL retraining; IADLs cover more complex tasks.

2. Anti-Defamation League

Organizations & Companies · Nonprofit Abbreviations

Organization that works against antisemitism and other forms of hatred, tracking incidents, researching extremism and providing education programs.

Example: The ADL audit recorded a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses.

B'nai B'rith created it in 1913, prompted partly by the case of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager later lynched in Georgia. Its annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents is widely cited. Its stances on Israel and on what counts as antisemitism have drawn criticism from both left and right.

More rehabilitation abbreviations

  • AAC – Augmentative and alternative communication
  • AAROM – Active-assisted range of motion
  • ABC – Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale
  • AD – Assistive device
  • AFO – Ankle-foot orthosis
  • AKA – Above-knee amputation
  • AM-PAC – Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care
  • AROM – Active range of motion

See all 98 rehabilitation abbreviations →

More nonprofit abbreviations

  • ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
  • ACS – American Cancer Society
  • ADA – American Diabetes Association
  • ADF – Alliance Defending Freedom
  • AEI – American Enterprise Institute
  • AFP – Americans for Prosperity
  • AFSP – American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  • AHA – American Heart Association

See all 91 nonprofit abbreviations →

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.