Long Term Care Glossary of Terms
Daily self-care activities, such as dressing, bathing, eating, and taking medication.
A service that provides daytime care for adults outside the home. Adult day care can include a wide range of activities and services, including nutritious meals, social activities, and medication management.
Affordable housing is generally defined as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.
The concept of remaining in one's home regardless of changes in health or care needs. This can take place in a senior living community, an apartment, or a home.
A medical condition that affects the brain and is a form of dementia. Symptoms can include loss of memory, inability to recognize others, and other similar symptoms.
The ability to walk independently, including walking with the use of an assistive device like a cane or walker.
type of care level offered at a senior living community in which residents receive help with activities of daily living based on their unique needs. Services can include meals, transportation, housekeeping, medication management, laundry, and social activities. See Licensed Residential or Residential as well.
A detailed plan that specifies a resident’s current needs and outlines all the services and support required. Common plan details include goals for the resident, the health professional caring for the resident, timelines for care and medication administration.
Any person who provides assistance with activities of daily living tasks to another individual. A caregiver can be a family member, a friend, or a medical professional. A primary caregiver is the person most responsible for assisting an individual.
A nurse, social worker or other healthcare professional who plans and coordinates services for an individual’s care.
With a budget of approximately $650 billion and serving approximately 90 million beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plays a key role in the overall direction of the healthcare system. With regard to long-term care, CMS is responsible for regulating and paying nursing homes, home health agencies, and hospices for the care of Medicare and Medicaid )in conjunction with the states) beneficiaries.
CNAs provide direct assistance with activities of daily living and other health care needs to residents and patients under the supervision of a nurse or other healthcare provider. CNAs are also known as a nursing assistant or a nurse’s aide.
The process of knowing; of being aware of thoughts. The ability to reason and understand.
Residents receive care from the same caregivers (RN, LPN, QMA, CNA) during a typical work week. Consistent assignments give the caregiver and resident the opportunity to build a close relationship, allowing the caregiver to gain a deep understanding of the resident and allowing the resident to develop a true level of comfort and trust with the caregiver.
A senior living community that provides multiple levels of care (also referred to as a continuum of care) to residents based on their individual needs. The care levels within a CCRC are often referred to as independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing. Most CCRCs require an entrance fee, which may or may not be refundable, and a monthly fee, which varies depending on the type of CCRC contract. Also known as Life Plan Community.
The loss or diminishing of cognitive functions, such as memory, reasoning, and thinking, that interferes with a person’s daily functioning. There are numerous types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and others.
An individual working in a nursing home or assisted living community that provides “hands on” help with activities of daily living to residents.
A registered nurse (RN) who supervises the ongoing care for all residents within a nursing home or other healthcare facility.
Someone who qualifies for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable older adult. The specificity of laws varies from state to state.
A lawyer who specializes in the legal rights and issues of older adults and their health, finances and well-being.
A situation in which a resident leaves the premises or a safe area without the facility’s knowledge and supervision.
Any family member, partner, friend or neighbor who provides or manages the care of someone who is ill, disabled, or frail. There may be more than one family caregiver involved in a person’s care.
The branch of medicine that focuses on providing comprehensive health care for older adults and the treatment of diseases associated with the aging process.
A thorough formal assessment of a resident’s senior care needs. This document gives caregivers a full background of when a resident first sough care and serves as the most complete assessment of a senior’s ongoing health history.
Types of person-centered care delivered in the home and community. A variety of health and human services can be provided. HCBS programs address the needs of people with functional limitations who need assistance with everyday activities, like getting dressed or bathing. HCBS are often designed to enable people to stay in their homes, rather than moving to a facility for care.
Nursing or other medical care provided to an individual in their home.
A service that provides end-of-life comfort and care.
A small group of residents living within a physically-defined environment that “feels like home” and that has a kitchen, a dining room and a living room. Staff is consistently assigned so they can develop meaningful relationships with the residents, work in self-led teams, and perform a variety of tasks.
Loss of bladder (urine) or bowel movement control. This condition can be transient, intermittent or permanent.
A senior living community in which residents require minimal or no assistance with daily activities.
The governmental entity in charge of overseeing Long Term Care Facilities in Indiana.
A team member who provides basic nursing care to residents under the supervision of RNs or physicians.
A facility that goes through the processing of becoming licensed so they are able to administer medication and provide nursing care to the residents that live there.
A variety of activities developed to target whole-person well-being and enhance the quality of life for residents in a senior living community.
The services provided, typically over long periods, to individuals who cannot care for themselves. The services provided vary depending on the condition of the individual receiving them, including whether the result of an injury, a chronic condition, or a disability.
A partnership between an insurance provider and a health care system. Put in place to coordinate all care services received to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Managed care plans use their own network of health care providers and require approvals prior to receiving care.
A health insurance company. In Indiana, related to mLTSS, these are Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana Healthy Horizons in Indiana and United Healthcare Community Plan.
A federal and state-funded program that assists low-income individuals with coverage for medical care and other health-related services. Medicaid is separate and distinct from Medicare.
A leadership-level physician who provides guidance to a healthcare organization or community.
A federal health insurance program for individuals 65 years of age and older. Medicare also provides health insurance for individuals under the age 65 who meet the eligibility requirements.
Specialized services provided to residents of senior living communities who need support due to memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease.
A transition from the state of Indiana being the payor of LTC services to now all resident electing a managed care entity and having all care needing to be approved through that entity.
A registered nurse with advanced education and training. NPs can diagnose and manage most common, and many chronic, illnesses. They do so alone or in collaboration with the health care team. NPs can prescribe medications and provide some services that were formerly permitted only to doctors.
Nursing home” is often used as a catch-all to describe any residential community offering senior living accommodations, although doing so fails to capture the wide range of available senior living communities. Instead, the recommended approach is to identify senior living communities by the level of care provided, such as independent senior living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing.
A website through Health and Human Services that uses health inspection, quality data and staffing data to determine a star rating for each facility in the US.
An independent representative, often employed by the state, for residents living in long-term care communities. An Ombudsman/Ombudsperson typically serves as an ally or advocate for residents in long-term care communities, helping them address concerns with the community’s leadership and team members.
A Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their health care needs in the community instead of going to a nursing home or other care facility.
A medical specialty providing relief from the pain and suffering associated with serious illness. Palliative care is sometimes offered as part of hospice or end-of-life care.
A process for determining whether a person being considered for admission has any mental illness or developmental disabilities. Federal law requires nursing home that participate in Medicare or Medicaid to screen all residents. If an initial evaluation reveals mental illness or developmental disabilities, a more in-depth evaluation is performed to determine whether the resident needs special services that cannot be provided in a nursing home. Residents whose mental conditions changed during their stay in the facility will be retested.
An approach to care in which the voices of individuals needing care and those working closest with them always comes first. Core person-directed values include dignity, respect, purposeful living and having the freedom to make informed choice about daily life and health care.
A document that gives someone the authority to legally act on someone else’s behalf. There are different types of power of attorney that grant different powers. These include durable power of attorney, which ensures that the person grated power can continue to act for the individual even after the senior is legally considered incapacitated.
The treatment of injury or illness with the use of exercise, massage, or other therapy techniques. (See also Rehabilitation.)
The overall enjoyment of a person‘s life in their current state.
An individual who has completed additional training and demonstrated competency while dispensing and passing medications and/or applying/administrating treatments. A QMA works under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse and can perform only procedures that are defined within the QMA scope of practice.
A graduate from a formal nursing education program (three to four years) who has passed a national examination and is licensed to practice by the state board. RNs assess, plan, implement, teach and evaluate a person’s nursing care needs, along wit the rest of the health care team.
Provides assistance for residents who cannot live in their homes because of age, mental illness or physical disability, but who do not need the level of care provided in a licensed nursing facility. Services include room, board and laundry with minimal administrative direction as well as care coordination provided on behalf of eligible individuals at an approved per diem rate established by the Division of Aging.
An ongoing process to help restore and enhance different functional abilities that were either lost or diminished over time or because of an injury.
Someone who lives in some form of senior living community, such as independent living or a nursing home.
An unlicensed housing-with-services establishment that may contract with a licensed home health agency to provide medication administration or nursing care.
Required by nursing home regulation, the Resident Council gives persons living in care settings the opportunity to communicate concerns to administrators, work for resolutions and improvements.
What most facilities might titled as Social Services because they ensure the residents’ social and emotional status is kept at the forefront of decision-making, in tandem with the physical health aspect.
Scheduled short-term nursing facility care provided on a temporary basis to an individual who needs this level of care but who is normally cared for in the community. The goal of scheduled short-term care is to provide relief for the caregivers while providing nursing facility care for the individual.
A collective term for a collection of properties where seniors can move out of their own homes and into a space that provides activities, socialization opportunities and other benefits. Senior living communities start with independent living and can include assisted living, nursing homes and other forms of retirements and assistance communities.
A facility that specializes in providing short-term medical care and support for seniors and those with disabilities. Skilled nursing care typically deals with temporary stays (20 to 60 days) following a hospital stay or some other treatment before they return home or to their senior living option of choice.
The portion of a nursing home’s staff that works behind the scenes to provide a clean, safe environment and proper nutrition. Support staff can include housekeepers, cooks, maintenance professionals, laundry workers, dietary aides and other essential jobs.
A process that all federal or state-funded nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities must go through to ensure that they are in compliance with legal regulations and standards of care.
What most businesses would refer to as Human Resources.
A term used to describe a normal clinical finding, such as when someone’s blood cell counts are within a normal range after a test.