Activities of daily living and how benefit triggers work

The six activities

• Bathing — washing safely in a tub or shower, including getting in and out.
• Dressing — putting on and removing clothing and any braces or limbs.
• Toileting — getting to and from the toilet and managing hygiene.
• Transferring — moving between bed, chair, and standing.
• Continence — maintaining control, or managing a catheter or colostomy.
• Eating — getting nourishment into the body, by any means.

Cognitive impairment as a separate trigger

A person with dementia may still be physically capable of dressing and bathing and yet be unsafe alone. Most policies address this with a separate severe cognitive impairment trigger, evaluated through standardized testing and reports of behavior — wandering, leaving appliances on, missed medications, disorientation at night.

How to describe need accurately

• Describe the ordinary day, not the best day.
• Use specifics: "cannot step over the tub wall without a hand" rather than "trouble bathing".
• Note how often standby help is needed, not just hands-on help.
• Include the near-misses — falls, burns, missed doses, night wandering.
• Do not exaggerate. An inaccurate picture undermines the whole file.