ADL Scale
The ADL (Activities of Daily Living) scale assesses the need for long-term care based on the ability to independently perform basic daily activities, and is used by health and life insurers to tier benefits.
Concept
ADL stands for “Activities of Daily Living”. Under the ADL scale, a medical assessment determines the extent to which a person in need of care can independently perform certain basic activities.
Methodology
What matters is solely the physical and mental condition of the person in need of care, not the actual time required for any assistance needed. Health or life insurers applying the ADL scale tier their benefits according to the number of ADL points reached, with one point awarded for each basic activity that cannot be performed independently. In Germany, a six-point scale is most commonly used.
Significance
The ADL scale provides private health and life insurers with a standardized, objectifiable basis for claims assessment in supplementary long-term care insurance, complementing the statutory care levels with a product-specific evaluation method.