Lawton IADL Scale

Overview

Author(s): Lawton, M.P. & Brody, E.M.

Year of Publication: 1969

Publisher: The Gerontological Society of America

Type of Assessment: 

• Interview or Questionnaire

• Standardized

• Self-report

• 
  

Cost: Free

How to Access: https://geriatrictoolkit.missouri.edu/funct/Lawton_IADL.pdf 

Age: Older Adults

Diagnoses: Normal age changes

Setting: Hospitals, Residential, Community

Areas Assessed:

• Communication management via telephone

• Shopping

• Food preparation

• Housekeeping

• Laundry

• Mode of transportation

• Medication management

• Financial management

Administration 

Time: 10-15 mins

Group/Individual: Individual or Caregiver

Subtests: Client is interviewed based on 8 daily tasks, each comprising of component subtasks for 31 total of varying complexity

Instructions: 

• Interview: The examiner will ask the client to indicate their highest level of functioning (either 0 or 1) by choosing the option that most closely resembles their functioning

• Questionnaire: Client will choose the option that most resembles their highest functional level

Materials: Evaluation form & pencil

User Qualifications: Interviewer must be a trained rater

Scoring Procedures

How to Score: Scores are determined by totaling the 8 task scores based on provided scoring criteria. 

• Scores range from 0-8

  • 0 = unable to complete

  • 1 = independent

• E.g.: E. Laundry

  • 1. Does personal laundry completely = 1

  • 2. Launders small items; rinses stockings, etc = 1

  • 3. All laundry must be done by others = 0

Score Indications:

• Higher scores (8) indicate greater independence in IADL functioning

• Lower scores (0) indicate dependence in all 8 areas or component subtasks

• Score changes on reevaluation to determine improvement or deterioration

Psychometrics

Reliability: 

• Interrater: Good

  • 0.85, 0.87, 0.91

Validity: 

• Significant correlations (p=.01) for general physical health & mental status questionnaire

Pros & Cons

Strengths:

• Available in Chinese, Japanese, & Spanish

• Quick & simple, making it ideal for the elderly population

• Easy to administer

• Easily identify specific deficits

Weaknesses:

• As an older assessment, it may not account for current trends/lifestyles

• Reporter bias - fear of loss of independence can sway answers

• No demonstration - solely based on reports that can overestimate or underestimate abilities

• Not sensitive to small, incremental changes in function

References

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Instrumental activities of daily living scale. https://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/practice-settings/assessment/tools/daily-activities 

• Asher, I. E. (2014). Asher’s occupational therapy assessment tools: An annotated index (4th ed.). AOTA Press.

• Graf, C. (2008). The Lawton instrumental activities of daily living scale. The American Journal of Nursing, 108(4), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000314810.46029.74 

• Lawton IADL scale. (n.d.). CGA Toolkit Plus. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://www.cgakit.com/f-1-lawton-scale