What does that mean?
The words doctors, insurers, lawyers and senior living staff use, in plain English. Rules differ by state; check the details for yours.
- Activities of daily living (ADLs) · also ADL
The basic self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, getting in and out of bed or a chair, and continence. Needing help with them is how care needs, assisted living levels and long-term care insurance claims are usually measured.
- Adult day program
Daytime supervision, activities and meals in a group setting, so a parent is safe and social while the family works or rests.
- Adult Protective Services (APS)
The state or county agency that investigates abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older and dependent adults. Anyone can report.
- Advance health care directive · also living will
A legal document that records the medical care someone wants or doesn't want, and usually names who decides for them if they can't. Rules and forms differ by state.
- Aging life care manager · also geriatric care manager
Usually a nurse or social worker who assesses what an older adult needs, finds and checks services, goes to appointments and keeps the family informed. Most charge by the hour.
- Anticipatory grief
Grief felt before a death, for losses that have already happened: common in families of people with dementia, and often stirred up again by a move to memory care.
- Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
The local public or nonprofit agency that coordinates services for older adults in a county or region: meals, rides, in-home help, caregiver support.
- Assisted living
A residence with private apartments or rooms, meals and help with daily tasks, for people who don't need nursing-home care. Medicare doesn't pay for it.
- Board and care home · also residential care home, adult family home
A licensed home, often six or fewer residents, giving meals, supervision and help with daily tasks in a regular house.
- Care plan
The written plan for someone's care: needs, goals, who does what and when. A care manager or the care team usually keeps it up to date.
- Credit freeze · also security freeze
Locks a person's credit reports so no new credit can be opened in their name. Free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion; it doesn't affect existing cards.
- DNR order · also do not resuscitate
A doctor's order not to attempt CPR if the heart or breathing stops. It doesn't mean no other treatment.
- Durable medical equipment (DME)
Equipment like walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds and oxygen. Medicare Part B covers much of it with a doctor's order from an enrolled supplier.
- Durable power of attorney (financial) · also DPOA
Names someone to handle money and property, and stays in effect if your parent loses capacity (that's what “durable” means). The agent has a legal duty to act in your parent's interest.
- Elder financial exploitation
Taking or misusing an older person's money or property: by scammers, but also by caregivers, friends or relatives. Warning signs include new “best friends”, missing items, unexplained withdrawals and changes to a will or accounts.
- End-of-life doula · also death doula
A non-medical companion who supports a dying person and family with presence, planning and vigil. Not licensed or regulated.
- Guardianship or conservatorship
A court process that appoints someone to make decisions for an adult who can't. Expensive and public; a power of attorney signed while your parent can still sign usually avoids it. The names differ by state.
- Health care power of attorney · also health care proxy, health care agent
Names the person who makes medical decisions when your parent can't. Often part of an advance directive.
- HIPAA release · also HIPAA authorization
A signed form that lets doctors and hospitals talk with the people your parent names. Without one, staff may not share details with family.
- Home care · also non-medical home care, private duty
Paid help at home with ADLs, meals, housework, errands and company. Usually paid privately or by long-term care insurance; Medicare generally doesn't cover it.
- Home health care
Skilled care at home ordered by a doctor: nursing, physical therapy and similar, for a limited time. Medicare covers it when the rules are met. Different from home care.
- Hospice
Comfort-focused care for someone whose doctor expects six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. Medicare covers it, usually at home. It adds a team; it isn't giving up.
- Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) · also IADL
The tasks of living on your own: managing money and medications, cooking, shopping, housework, driving or using transportation, using the phone. Trouble with these often shows up before trouble with ADLs.
- Long-term care insurance
A private policy that pays for help with ADLs at home or in a community once the policy's conditions are met, often after a waiting period. Find the policy and call the insurer early.
- Long-term care ombudsman
A free advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living who helps resolve complaints about care and rights.
- Medicaid
Joint federal and state health coverage for people with limited income and assets. The main payer for long-term nursing home care; many states also pay for some care at home. Rules differ by state.
- Medicare
Federal health insurance for people 65+ and some younger people with disabilities. Part A covers hospital, Part B doctors and outpatient care, Part D prescriptions; Medicare Advantage (Part C) bundles them through a private plan.
- Medigap · also Medicare supplement
Private insurance that pays some of what Original Medicare doesn't, like coinsurance. It can't be used with Medicare Advantage.
- Memory care · also special care unit
A setting for people living with dementia, often a wing of assisted living or a nursing home, usually secured, with staff trained in dementia care.
- PACE · also Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
In some areas, a Medicare and Medicaid program that covers medical care, a day center and help at home for people 55+ who need nursing-home-level care but can live in the community.
- Palliative care
Care for symptoms and stress of serious illness, at any stage, alongside treatment.
- POLST · also MOLST, POST, physician orders for life-sustaining treatment
A medical order, signed by a clinician, that tells emergency responders and hospitals what treatment a seriously ill person wants, such as CPR or not. It's for people who are already seriously ill or frail, and travels with them.
- Professional fiduciary
A paid professional who manages money or care decisions for someone, as a trustee, agent, conservator or guardian. Some states license them.
- Representative payee
A person or organization Social Security appoints to receive and manage benefits for someone who can't. Separate from a power of attorney.
- Respite care
Short-term care that gives the family caregiver a break: a few hours at home, a day program, or a short stay in a community.
- Skilled nursing facility (SNF) · also nursing home
Round-the-clock nursing care. Medicare can cover a short rehab stay after a qualifying hospital stay; long-term stays are usually paid privately or by Medicaid.
- Sundowning
Increased confusion, restlessness or agitation in some people with dementia from late afternoon into the night. Not a disease itself; tell the doctor, since pain, infection or medications can make it worse.
- VA Aid and Attendance
An extra monthly amount added to a VA pension for veterans or surviving spouses who need help with daily activities.
- Wandering
When a person with dementia walks or drives off, gets lost or tries to leave to "go home". The Alzheimer's Association says six in 10 people with dementia will wander at least once.
Still stuck?
See free help and hotlines, read the guides, or find a care manager who can explain it for your parent's situation.
General information, not legal, medical or financial advice.