Accountable - Answers answerable for one's actions
activities of daily living (ADLs) - Answers personal daily care task, including bathing, skin, nail, and hair
care, walking, eating and drinking, mouth care, dressing, transferring, and toileting
acute care - Answers 24-hour skilled care for short-term illnesses or injuries; generally given in hospitals
and ambulatory surgical centers
adaptive devices - Answers special equipment that helps a person who is ill or disabled to perform ADLs;
also called assistive devices.
adult day services - Answers care for people who need some assistance or supervision during certain
hours, but who do not live in the facility where care is given
animal-assisted therapy (AAT) - Answers the practice of bringing pets into a facility or home to provide
stimulation and companionship
assistive devices - Answers Special equipment that helps a person who is ill or disabled to perform ADLS;
also called adaptive devices.
care team - Answers the group of people with different kinds of education and experience who provide
resident care
chain of command - Answers the order of authority within a facility
charge nurse (nurse-in-charge) - Answers a nurse responsible for a team of healthcare workers
chronic - Answers long-term or long-lasting
cite - Answers in a long-term care facility, to find a problem through a survey
conscientious - Answers guided by a sense of right and wrong; principled
continuity of care - Answers an ongoing coordination of a resident's care over time, during which the
care team is regularly exchanging information and is working toward shared goals
courteous - Answers polite, kind, considerate
Delegation - Answers transferring responsibility to a person for a specific task
Dementia - Answers the serious loss of mental abilities, such as thinking, remembering, reasoning, and
communicating
diagnosis - Answers the identification of disease or other problems by its signs and symptoms and from
the results of different tests
, empathetic - Answers identifying with and understanding another's feelings
first impression - Answers a way of classifying or categorizing someone or something at the first meeting
functional nursing - Answers method of care that involves assigning specific tasks to each team member
holistic care - Answers care that involves the whole person; this includes his or her physical, social,
emotional, and spiritual needs
home health care - Answers care that takes place in a person's home
hospice care - Answers care for people who have approximately six months or less to live; care is
available until the person dies
inter-generational care - Answers mixing elderly and children in the same care setting
Joint Commission - Answers a not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits different types of
healthcare facilities
length of stay - Answers the number of days a person stays in a healthcare facility
liability - Answers a legal term that means someone can be held responsible for harming someone else
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN) - Answers a licensed nurse who
administers medications, gives treatment, and may supervise daily care of residents
long term care - Answers 24-hour care provided for people with ongoing conditions who are generally
unable to manage their ADLs
Medicaid - Answers a medical assistance program for low-income people, as well as for people with
disabilities
Medicare - Answers the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, are disabled
or are ill and cannot work
Medicare Part A - Answers helps pay for care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility or for care from a
home health agency or hospice
Medicare Part B - Answers helps pay for doctor services and other medical services and equipment
Medicare Part C - Answers combines insurance
Medicare—Part D - Answers helps pay for medications prescribed for treatment
Nursing Assistant (NA) - Answers person who performs assigned nursing tasks and gives personal care
outpatient care - Answers care given to people who have had treatments, procedures, or surgery and do
not require an overnight stay in a hospital or other care facility