Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living

ACTVITIES Points INDEPENDENCE: DEPENDENCE:

( 1 or 0 )
( 1 POINT ) ( 0 POINTS )

NO supervision, WITH supervision,

direction or personal direction, personal
assistance assistance or total care

BATHING (1 POINT) Bathes self (0 POINTS) Needs

completely or needs help with bathing
help in bathing only a more than one part of
Points: single part of the body the body, getting in or
such as the back, out of the tub or
genital area or shower. Requires total
disabled extremity. bathing.

DRESSING (1 POINT) Gets (0 POINTS) Needs

clothes from closets help with dressing self
and drawers and puts or needs to be
on clothes and outer completely dressed.
garments complete
with fasteners. May
Points:
have help tying shoes.

TOILETING (1 POINT) Goes to (0 POINTS) Needs

toilet, gets on and off, help transferring to
arranges clothes, the toilet, cleaning
Points: cleans genital area self or uses bedpan or
without help. commode.

TRANSFERRING (1 POINT) Moves in (0 POINTS) Needs

and out of bed or help in moving from
chair unassisted. bed to chair or
Points: Mechanical requires a complete
transferring aides are transfer.
acceptable.

CONTINENCE (1 POINT) Exercises (0 POINTS) Is

complete self control partially or totally
over urination and incontinent of bowel
Points: defecation. or bladder.

FEEDING (1 POINT) Gets food (0 POINTS) Needs

from plate into mouth partial or total help
without help. with feeding or
Points: Preparation of food requires parenteral
may be done by feeding.
another person.

TOTAL POINTS =_______

6= High (patient independent) 0 = Low (patient very dependent)

Slightly adapted. Permission from Gerontological Society of America. Katz S., Down, TD, Cash,HR et al.
(1970) Progress in the development of the index of ADL. Gerontologist 10:20-30.

© 2000. Hartford Institute, New York University Division of Nursing.