Understanding Senior Housing and Healthcare Options

Senior Housing Care The ideal time to begin talking about and educating yourself about senior care options is before the need arises. It is important that you understand what options are out there, along with the terminology that you will come across in your search. Familiarizing yourself with the following terms is an essential step on your journey to find the right setting for your loved one.

Term	Definition
Activities of Daily Living (ADL)	Everyday functions and activities that a person may require assistance with, including dressing, eating, personal hygiene and transferring.
Adult day program	Structured programs with social activities and health-related and rehabilitation services provided in a safe setting during regular business hours. Some adult day care centers may also operate on weekends.
Advanced Directive for Healthcare	Legal document providing information relating to the type of medical treatment that should be performed if your life is in danger and you are unable to communicate.
Aging in place	Concept that advocates allowing a resident to remain in his/her living environment, regardless of the physical or mental decline that may occur with aging.
All-inclusive	All inclusive describes something where nothing is left out and where everything is considered a part of the package.
Assisted Living	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 daily activities.
Bed Hold	A hold reservation placed on a nursing home bed if a resident is only going to be hospitalized temporarily or on therapeutic leave. Bed holds are mostly needed by Medicaid patients to prevent another Medicaid patient from taking their place. Some state Medicaid programs pay for bed holds and Medicaid nursing home residents have the right to return to the first available bed in the facility they left.
Caregiver	Primary person in charge of caring for an individual, usually a family member or a designated healthcare professional.
Case managers	Professionals assisting in planning/arranging for formal services.
Continuing care retirement facility	Continuing care retirement communities are large establishments where seniors can find many different levels of care, from active senior living, to assisted living, to skilled nursing. The quintessential offspring of the "aging in place" movement, CCRCs offer healthy social interaction, appropriate care, and continuity of residence. They are also a good option for spouses who need different levels of care.
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)	Written legal order stating that the patient does not want to be resuscitated. Hospice patients wishing to not have artificial life support typically will have a DNR.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)	Reusable medical equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs and hospital beds. Medicare will pay for some DME, with doctor’s approval.
Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA)	A legal document that enables an individual to designate another person, called the attorney-in-fact, to act on his/her behalf, even in the event the individual becomes disabled or incapacitated.
Home Health Care	Provision of medical and nursing services in the individual’s home by a licensed provider.
Hospice care	Care program that provides palliative and supportive services to terminally ill patients and their families in the form of physical, social and spiritual care.
Independent Living	Senior community with a residential living setting for seniors who require minimal or no extra assistance, this independent lifestyle may or may not provide hospitality or supportive services.
Long-term care	Broad term that describes care given in the form of medical and support services to people who, due to illness or injury, have lost some or all of their capacity to function without assistance.
Long-term care insurance	Insurance that pays for a succession of caregiving services administered by a nurse or aide to the chronically ill and provided in a community or the individual’s home.
Managed Care	Partnership between an insurance provider and a health care system, in place to coordinate all care services received in order to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Managed care plans use their own network of health care providers and require approvals prior to receiving services.
Medicaid	United States government health insurance program for eligible individuals and families with low income and resources. Income eligibility criteria must be met to qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid is a state administered program and each state sets its own guidelines regarding eligibility and services.
Medicare	United States government health insurance program for individuals aged 65 and older, or for individuals who meet other special criteria. It also provides for hospital and skilled nursing care (called Medicare Part A) and physician services, therapies and home health care (called Medicare Part B). Medicare does not pay for long-term care.
Medication administration	The practice of administering medication involves providing the patient with a substance prescribed and intended for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical illness or condition.
Medication management	Formalized procedure for the management of self-administered medicine, and may include written rules regarding timing, dosage and coordination with a resident’s personal physician.
Nursing home	Provides 24-hour skilled care for residents who generally rely on assistance for most or all daily activities (such as bathing, dressing and toileting). One step below hospital acute care, state-licensed nursing homes are mandated to make regular medical supervision and rehabilitation therapy available, and are eligible to participate in the Medicaid program.
Palliative care	Any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or to provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex and/or terminal illnesses.
Rehabilitation stay	Therapeutic care for individuals requiring intensive physical, occupational or speech therapy, provided to restore them to a former capacity.
Respite	Services that provide caregivers with temporary relief from tasks associated with caregiving (e.g., home care services, short nursing home stays, adult day care).
Retirement homes	Retirement homes are senior living communities with apartment-style rooms in which residents receive some form of health care, custodial care, and assistance with activities of daily living.
Skilled nursing	Level of care that includes services that can only be performed safely and correctly by a licensed nurse (either a registered nurse, RN or a licensed practical nurse, LPN.
Skilled nursing facility (SNF)	Health care facilities that are licensed and inspected by the State Department of Health Services. They offer both short and long-term care options for those with temporary or permanent health problems too complex or serious for home care or an assisted living setting.
Transitional Care	Type of care designed for those who are being discharged from an acute care situation, such as a hospital stay, but are not quite ready to return to their home. Short-term in nature, this care may be specialized for specific conditions and also includes rehabilitative services.