Activities of Daily Living
Long-term care insurance policies use "benefit triggers" to determine if you're eligible to start receiving benefits. Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are the most common trigger used by insurance companies.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners publication, A Shopper's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance, lists and defines six ADLs:
Tax-qualified policies require that you have a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s, or be unable to perform two of the six ADLs without help for at least 90 days. You must also have a plan of care from a doctor.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners publication, A Shopper's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance, lists and defines six ADLs:
- Bathing: The ability to sponge bathe or get in and out of bath tub or shower.
- Eating: The ability to feed oneself by getting food into the body or by a feeding tube.
- Continence: The ability to maintain control of bladder and bowel functions.
- Toileting: The ability to get to and from the toilet and perform associated personal hygiene.
- Dressing: The ability to put on and remove all items of clothing and any braces or artificial limbs.
- Transferring: The ability to get in and out of bed, chair, or wheelchair.
Tax-qualified policies require that you have a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s, or be unable to perform two of the six ADLs without help for at least 90 days. You must also have a plan of care from a doctor.