Home Care | Senior Placement
Terminology / Glossary
ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)
ADL’s are non-medical assistance which includes but are not limited to the following: cooking, cleaning, bathing, dressing, meal preparation, continence care, transportation, exercise assistance, medication reminders, light housekeeping and companionship.
APS (Adult Protective Services)
APSs are county or state departments where actual or suspected elder abuse (physical, emotional, sexual and verbal) is reported.
Independent Living Facility (ILF)
Are apartment complexes that allow seniors to live independently with structured activities they can choose to participate in with others their age.
Assisted Living Facility (ALF)
Elder care facilities that are licensed by the state to provide room/board, meals, medication management and care.
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
A facility that provides both short-term rehabilitation services and long-term custodial services. SNFs are also referred to as nursing homes or rehab centers.
Residential Care Facility for Elderly (RCFE)
RCFEs are licensed elder care facilities. In the state of California, this is a broad term used to cover any licensed elder care facility. Assisted living, board and care, memory care and, in some cases, independent living facilities fall under the RCFE classification.
Hospital
Acute hospital care is defined as necessary treatment of a disease or injury requiring continuous management in a hospital setting.
Non-Medical Home Care / Caregiver Services
Caregiver services are focused on providing non-medical assistance including cooking, cleaning, bathing, dressing, continence care, light housekeeping and companionship.
Home Health
Physical Therapy (PT), speech therapy (ST), occupational therapy (OT), Social Worker (SW) or skilled nursing care are provided by home health agencies in the client’s home.
Hospice
Hospice focuses on managing the medical needs and comfort of those who have been diagnosed with life-threatening diagnosis such as cancer, dementia, COPD, CHF, end-stage heart or lung disease or even failure to thrive marked by progressive decline in nutritional intake, functions, weight loss or sudden disorientation.
Placement Services
Placement services refer people to different AL, IL, B&C homes or home care companies depending on their budget and care needs.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
DME is equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, oxygen and three-in-one commodes, etc.
Palliative Care
This type of elder care focuses on the medical care for those diagnosed with life-threatening diseases, similar to hospice. The main difference of palliative care from hospice is that there is no definite life expectancy needed to enter into palliative care programs. Hospice requires less than six months life expectancy.
Medicare
Medicare is a Federal health insurance program run by the Federal government and primarily covers people over the age of 65 (some Medicare recipients are under 65, but are disabled).
Medicaid
Medicaid is a Federal program run by each state and provides care for low income and certain disabled people. States usually set criteria for coverage and determine eligibility.