For a glossary on end-of-life planning, go to Second Opinion, End of Life (Episode 313)

Adult Day Care
Community-based care designed to meet the needs of impaired adults who, for their own safety and well-being, can no longer be left at home alone during the day.

Advance Medical Directives
Prepared while person is still able to make decisions for him or herself.  A health care advance directive is a written document that says how a person wants medical decisions to be made if he or she loses the ability to make these decisions. A health care advance directive may include a Living Will, a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care or both.

Advocate
A person, often a family member, who is designated to speak with healthcare providers on behalf of a patient. An advocate does not have legal powers, unlike a healthcare proxy.

Ambulatory Care
All types of health services that are provided on an outpatient basis, instead of services provided in the home or to persons in a clinical setting.

Anti-depressants
Medicines developed to treat depression.  They are prescribed based on the particular diagnosis of a patient and administered under appropriate risk management models.  In some cases, such as, depression caused by a neurochemical imbalance – anti-depressants might be essential for a favorable outcome.  Usually, treatment must continue for several weeks before full therapeutic effect can be measured.

Anxiety
A feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress.

Assessment
Activities performed by at least one professional (preferably a social worker and/or a nurse) to determine a person's current ability to function in six areas: physical health, mental health, social support, activities of daily living, environmental conditions, and financial situation.

Assistive Devices
A range of products designed to help seniors or people with disabilities lead more independent lives. Examples include motorized wheelchairs, walking aids, elevated toilet seats, bathtub seats, and handrails.

Burnout
The feeling of becoming overly frustrated and negative experienced by some caregivers.

Care Manager
A professional who plans, locates, monitors and coordinates appropriate social and medical services for those that are not able to fully care for themselves due to a disability or functional limitation. Also known as a case manager. Often a nurse or social worker.

Care Plan
A written action plan that contains the strategies for delivering care to address an individual's needs and problems.

Caregiver or Family Caregiver
An adult who provides unpaid care for the physical and emotional needs of a family member or friend.

Chronic Illness or Condition
An illness or other condition with one or more of the following characteristics: permanency, residual disability, requires rehabilitation training, or requires a long period of supervision, observation, or care. Typically, it is a disease or condition that lasts over a long period of time and cannot be cured; it is often associated with disability.

Clinical Depression
Depression that meets the DSM-IV criteria for a depressive disorder. The term is usually used to denote depression that is not a normal, temporary mood change caused by life events or grieving.

Competence
Usually used in a legal sense, refers to a person's ability to understand information, make an informed choice based on the information and values, and communicate that decision.

Continuum of Care
Encompasses the different care services considered necessary over the full course of an illness.

Custodial Care
Care to help individuals meet personal needs such as bathing, dressing, eating, and other non-medical care that most people do themselves, such as using eye drops. Medicare does not pay for custodial care and Medicaid pays very little.

Depression
A potentially serious mental health condition that involves the body, mind and emotions, often characterized by a profound change in mood and/or a profound loss of interest in once-pleasurable things or activities.  Depression can affect the way you eat, sleep and function; how you feel about yourself and others; and what think about the world around you.

Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Orders
Instructions written by a doctor telling other healthcare providers not to try to restart a patient's heart, using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or other related treatments, if his/her heart stops beating. Usually, DNR orders are written after a discussion between a doctor and the patient and/or family members.

End-of-Life Care
Doctors and caregivers provide care to patients approaching the end of life that is focused on comfort, respect for decisions, support for the family, and treatments to help psychological and spiritual concerns.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
A federal law that requires an employer to allow its employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12 month period to care for an immediate family member or to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

Guardian
A legal term for a person who is lawfully vested with the care of a person who has been judged legally incompetent and/or the care of the person's property.

Home Health Agency
A service that locates and manages health professionals who provide services in the home such as nursing, physical therapy, or personal care.

Home Health Aide (HHA)
A professional who is trained to provide assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, eating and cooking, and light housekeeping in order to assist the patient with living independently in a safe environment. These individuals are not licensed to deliver medical care.

Home Health Care
Health services provided in the homes of the elderly, disabled, sick, or convalescent. The types of services provided include nursing care, social services, home health aide and homemaking services, and various rehabilitation therapies (e.g., speech, physical and occupational therapy).

Hospice Home Care
Most hospice patients receive care while living in their homes. Home hospice patients have family members or friends who provide most of their care, with help and support from the trained hospice team, which visits the house to provide medical and nursing care, emotional support, counseling, information, instruction, and practical help.

Hospice
A special way of caring for people with terminal illnesses and their families by keeping the patient as comfortable as possible by relieving pain and other symptoms, preparing for a death that follows the wishes and needs of the patient, and reassuring both the patient and family members by helping them to understand and manage what is happening.

Long Term Care Insurance
A type of insurance coverage for long term care expenses. Most policies are sold to individuals through insurance agents but employers can also offer long term care insurance at a group discount. With an employer group policy, the insurance company is not allowed to cancel coverage after an individual's employment ends or the employer cancels the plan. The policy is intended to cover long term care services such as assistance with activities of daily living or medical care required to manage a chronic condition and will generally cover some of, if not all, the costs associated with skilled nursing facilities, residential care homes, assisted living or other types of similar facilities. In addition, the policy may cover home health care and other costs of care depending upon the terms of the policy.

Meals on Wheels
A volunteer organization that provides routine nutritious meal delivery for homebound older adults unable to provide meals for themselves. Also known as mobile meals.

Medicaid
An assistance program through which the federal government and the individual states share in payment for the medical care of certain categories of needy and low-income people.

Medical Alert & Call Systems
Also known as Emergency Response Systems. An electronic system or device that connects an individual to assistance in an emergency.

Medicare
A federal health insurance program for people 65 and over and some under 65 who are disabled. Medicare has two parts. Part A is also called Hospital Insurance, and Part B is called Medical Insurance.

Multi-Disciplinary Team/Interdisciplinary Team
A group of professionals with different skills and training who share information and consultation around a person's care.

Personal Care
Activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, caring for hair/nails and oral hygiene that are needed to facilitate treatment or to prevent deterioration of a person's health.

Respite
Temporary or short-term care of a chronically ill person by another which is designed to give the caregiver a rest.

Transfer Devices
Lifts, seat lift chairs, transfer boards and other devices which help individuals who have physical disabilities move into and out of their vehicles, wheelchairs and other mobility systems.