When a person cannot take care of themselves, it's called ADLs or a loss of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
ADLs or loss of Activities of Daily Living is the clinical term for when a person cannot take care of themselves.
If someone is mentally or physically capable of taking care of themselves, but they completely stop meeting these basic needs, it's referred to as self neglect.
And when a person has the general inability to make their own decisions or decisions it's called incapacity.
ADLs also comprises of 6 fundamental skills that are required to manage basic physical needs, which include.
Toileting, which involves getting to and from the toilet.
Continence, managing their bowel and bladder functions.
Mobility, which includes walking or transferring from a bed to a chair.
Eating, involves the physical act of feeding oneself.
Dressing, which involves selecting and putting on clothes.
And Personal Hygiene, which involves bathing and grooming.
When a person struggles with these basic fundamental skills to manage their basic physical needs, the person often requires assistance with "Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), which also includes managing finances, preparing meals and taking medications as well as doing basic housekeeping.
Self-neglect can be as a result of brain injury, dementia or mental illness.
The self neglect also can be a result of any mental or physical illness which has an effect on the person's physical abilities, energy levels, attention, organizational skills or motivation.
Self-neglect refers to the inability or refusal to provide oneself with essential care, threatening one's own health and safety.
It is widely categorized into four distinct types:
Physical and Medical Neglect: Failing to attend to personal hygiene, neglecting necessary medical treatments, or mismanaging medications and basic medical aids (e.g., hearing aids, glasses).
Environmental Neglect: Living in hazardous, squalid, or unsanitary conditions, failing to maintain the home, or engaging in severe hoarding.
Nutritional Neglect: Failing to maintain adequate food and water intake, resulting in extreme dehydration, malnutrition, or sudden, dangerous weight loss.
Financial Neglect: The inability or unwillingness to manage one's own financial affairs, which can lead to unpaid bills, eviction, or a lack of funds for basic living necessities.
Depending on the context, these categories can also be described as active (intentional) refusal or passive (non-intentional) neglect stemming from physical or mental impairment.