Some confusing terms explained

ADL's
Activities of Daily Living

AAA
Area Agency on Aging

Adult Day Care
A service for elderly adults similar to child day care

Advance Directive
Another name for Health Care Directive, or Living Will

Alzheimer's
An organic brain disease which causes mental deterioration – not a mental "illness"

APS
Adult Protective Services

Assessment
The thorough examination of the client's situation and care needs

Assisted Living
Help with the activities of daily living at home or in a residential facility; see Levels of Care

Bedridden; Bedfast
A bedridden person is one who often requires assistance to turn or reposition himself and who must rely on assistance to leave the building, even in an emergency

––– Care
For levels of care or types of care facilities, see Levels of Care

CHHA
Certified Home Health Aide (a California licensed home- care provider)

Conservator
A person appointed by a court to manage the financial affairs of another person

CNA
Certified Nursing Assistant (a California state licensed health care provider with less training that an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) or an RN (Registered Nurse)

CCRC
Continuing Care Retirement Community (A residential facility which provides all levels of care, often described as "life-care")

CVA
Cerebral Vascular Accident (a stroke)

Dementia
A medical term for the mental deterioration caused by organic brain disease, or injury. This term is not used by professionals to mean insane, or "demented"

DME
Durable medical equipment (for example, hospital beds and wheel chairs)

---––– Facility
For types of care facilities, see Levels of Care

Health Care Directive
A document containing a statement of a person's wishes for health care in event that person becomes unable to make or communicate such decisions

Guardian
A person appointed by a court to make (all) decisions in behalf of another whom the court has ruled incompetent

Health Care Power of Attorney
The legal authority (as evidenced by a document of the same name) to act for another in matters of health care decisions. Also known as a medical power of attorney, or a health care proxy

HMO
Health Maintenance Organization

Independent Living
Able to perform the Activities of Daily Living without dependence upon others

Life Care
The type of care offered by a CCRC

Living Will
A written statement of a person's wishes regarding specified medical treatments in the event the person is not able to make his wishes known at the time. Also called an Advance Directive (note that this is not a power of attorney)

Long-Term Care Insurance
Private insurance to pay for nursing home care or in- home health care

Medicaid
A joint federal-state health care program for low income people administered by each state. The benefits differ according to state

Medicare
A Federal health insurance program to defray the medical expenses of a person after age 65

Medi-Cal
California state's version of Medicaid

Medi-Gap
A name for privately-purchased supplementary health insurance to bridge the gaps in Medicare coverage

Power of Attorney
The legal authority (as evidenced by a document of the same name) to act for another in business or property transactions (but not in issues of health care)

POA
Power of Attorney

RCFE
Certification by the Residential Care Facilities Administration

ROM
Range-of-motion

Part A (Social Security)
Hospital benefits

Part B (Social Security)
Medical benefits

Skilled Nursing –––
Twenty-four hour nursing care for people with serious health needs but who do not need the intensive care provided by a hospital

SSI
Supplementary Security Income provided to the poor, blind, or disabled

TIA
Trans-Ischemic Attack (a type of heart attack)
Disclaimer: For a legally reliable definition of the terms power of attorney, durable, and non-durable, see your attorney.