[Daily activities--differences and similarities in the concept between gerontology and nursing care]

For analyzing independent living in the elderly gerontology and nursing often use the concept of activities of daily living. This concept deals with the basic and complex functions of everyday life, which can be useful for describing the functional aspects of independency in old age. The following article focuses on the "classical" contributions from Katz ("Activities of Daily Living") and Lawton and Brody ("Instrumental Activities of Daily Living") which have won a large following in gerontology. Finally, similarities and differences in the comprehension of activities in everyday life between gerontology and nursing are discussed.