terms you should know
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) - A term used to define areas of assistance. ADL's include bathing, dressing and feeding.
Assisted Living Facility - A licensed, residential care facility that provides personal care and support services to older adults who need help with daily activities.
Caregiver - Someone who takes care of another person.
Cognitive Impairment - The loss of intellectual functioning which can include confusion, poor judgment, failure to recognize people, places and things, personality changes and emotional disturbances.
Continuum of Care - A broad range of services that provide care based on an individual's level of need, from independent living to skilled nursing services.
Durable Power of Attorney - A legal document permitting an individual to designate another person to act on his or her behalf.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare - A legal document that allows one person to designate another to make health care decisions in the event he or she becomes incapacitated.
Durable Power of Attorney for Finance - A legal document that allows one person to designate another to make financial decisions in the event he or she becomes incapacitated.
Living Will - A document which governs the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from a person in the event that the person has an incurable or irreversible condition that will cause death in a relatively short time. This document comes into use when the person is no longer able to make decisions regarding their medical treatment.
Long-Term Care - Any type of support and care a person may need over an extended period of time.
Medicaid - A joint federal and state program that subsidizes medical costs for some people with low incomes and limited resources. Medicaid programs vary from state to state. In Ohio, Medicaid does not cover assisted living care.
Medicare - Federal health insurance program for people 65 years of age or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure with dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).
Respite - Short term, temporary care provided to people with disabilities in order that their families can take a break from the daily routine of care giving.
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