The purpose of this study was to propose useful activities of daily living(ADLs)and scales for estimating ADL ability in healthy older persons.The subjects were 2100 older persons.A total of 130 items for 57 ADLs were selected from the following 4 domains:locomotion, manipulation, stability, and posture-change.The achievement rate for each item was calculated.First, 15 more useful ADLs, consisting of 45 items, were selected to estimate ADL ability based on the multiple scale, considering the achievement rate and interrelationship of each item, and physical fitness domains related mainly to achievement of the ADL.Second, the scales of 15 ADLs were modified after examining the difference between practical achievement rates and the theoretical structure of the scale from the viewpoints of size and approximation of the achievement rate.Third, useful ADLs and their scales were proposed based on the analysis and theoretical validity.As a result, the following 15 ADLs were selected:In the locomotion domain, jumping across a ditch, walking, running, going up and down stairs, going up and down bus steps, transfer, and jumping;in the manipulation domain, taking bedding in and out, buttoning a shirt;in the stability domain, standing in a bus or train, dressing while standing(trousers), dressing while standing(socks), standing on one foot with eyes open;in the posturechange domain, sitting up, standing up from the floor.All of these 15 ADLs were constructed on a 3-level scale with different difficulties.The ADL scale proposed in this study was considered to need further examination.