The terms below can help you learn about commonly used terms and the different senior housing and care choices available.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Bathing, eating, grooming, dressing, toileting and other day-to-day activities.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Passed by Congress in 1980, this law establishes a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability.

Adult Day Care: Structured programs with stimulating social activities and health-related and rehabilitation services for the elderly who are physically or emotionally disabled and need a protective environment. The participant is usually brought to the care facility in the morning and leaves in the evening.

Alzheimer\'s Care Center: A treatment center that specializes in providing care for those with Alzheimer\'s Disease with more of the care geared towards supervision of the patient in a safe and controlled environment. (from LTCInsurance)

Alzheimer\'s: A progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning. Alzheimer\'s disease is the most common cause of dementia. (from the Alzheimer\'s Association)

Ambulatory: The ability to walk freely & independently, not bedridden or hospitalized.

Assessment: An evaluation, usually performed by a physician, of a person\'s mental, emotional, and social capabilities. (from AA)

Assisted Living: a special combination of housing, personalized supportive services and health care designed to meet the needs -- both scheduled and unscheduled -- of those who need help with activities of daily living.

Caregiver: The primary person in charge of caring for an individual with Alzheimer\'s disease, usually a family member or a designated health care professional. (from AA)

Case management: A term used to describe formal services planned by care professionals. (from AA)

Congregate Housing: is similar to independent living except that it usually provides convenience or supportive services like meals, housekeeping, and transportation in addition to rental housing. (from ALFA)

Dementia: The loss of intellectual functions (such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning) of sufficient severity to interfere with a person\'s daily functioning. Dementia is not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain diseases or conditions. Symptoms may also include changes in personality, mood, and behavior. Dementia is irreversible when caused by disease or injury but may be reversible when caused by drugs, alcohol, hormone or vitamin imbalances, or depression. (from Alzheimer\'s Assoc.)

Developmental Disability (DD): Affliction characterized by chronic physical and mental disabilities, which may include: cerebral palsy, retardation, thyroid problems, seizures, and quadriplegia.

Financial Counseling Programs: Help seniors with managing their finances, bills, and completing Medicaid, Medicare or insurance forms. (from LTCInsurance)

HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996): This act became a law on January 1, 1997. The act states the requirements that a long term care policy must follow in order that the premiums paid may be deducted as medical expenses and benefits not paid be considered as taxable income. (from LTCINSURANCE)

HMO: A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) is an organized system for providing comprehensive health care in a specific geographic area to a voluntarily enrolled group of members.

Home Health Care: Provision of medical and nursing services in the individual\'s home by a licensed provider.

Hospice Care: Philosophy and approach to providing comfort and care at life\'s end rather than heroic lifesaving measures (from AA), it can include medical, counseling, and social services. Most hospice care is furnished in-home, while specialized hospices or hospitals also provide this service.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs): Secondary level of activities (different from ADLs, such as eating, dressing, and bathing) important to daily living, such as cooking, writing, and driving. (from AA)

Living Will: A written document, which states the wishes of an individual in advance concerning the use of life saving devices and procedures in the event that the person is terminally ill or has suffered an injury and is no longer competent. (from LTCInsurance)

Long-term Care Insurance: The insurance which pays for a succession of care giving services for the elderly or chronically ill. This care may be provided in a facility (nursing home, mental hospital, etc.) or in the individual\'s home with a nurse or aide. (from LTCInsurance)

Non-Ambulatory: Inability to walk independently, usually bedridden or hospitalized.

Occupational Therapy: A creative activity prescribed for its effect in promoting recovery or rehabilitation. This is done to help individuals relearn activities of daily living and is generally administered by a licensed therapist.

Physical Therapy: The treatment of disease or injury, by physical and mechanical means (as massage, regulated exercise, water, light, heat, and electricity.) Physical therapists plan and administer prescribed physical therapy treatment programs for residents to help restore their function and strength.

Quality care: Term used to describe care and services that allow recipients to attain and maintain their highest level of mental, physical, and psychological function, in a dignified and caring way.

Rehabilitation: Therapeutic care for persons requiring intensive physical, occupational, or speech therapy in order to restore to the patient to a former capacity.

Respite Care: Services that provide people with temporary relief from tasks associated with care giving (e.g., in-home assistance, short nursing home stays, adult day care). (from AA)

Support group: Facilitated gathering of caregivers, family, friends, or others affected by a disease or condition for the purpose of discussing issues related to the disease. (from AA)