• General Power of Attorney: gives broad powers to a person to act on your behalf.
• Limited Power of Attorney: Restricts the scope of power and is relevant to specific activities.

DME: See Durable Medical Equipment

Domiciliary Care: See Home Health Care

DSM-5: Defines six key categories of cognitive function: executive function, learning and memory, perceptual-motor function, language, complex attention, and social cognition.

Durable Medical Equipment: Equipment and supplies ordered by a health-care provider for everyday or extended use. Includes but is not limited to oxygen equipment, wheelchairs, crutches and blood testing strips for diabetics.

Durable Power of Attorney: Legal documents that give a person the power to make decisions for another person. There are two types of durable power of attorney, documents: one for medical decisions and another for financial decisions. These documents are typically invoked when a person becomes incapacitated or is unable to handle matters on their own.

Elder Law: Is an area of legal practice that specializes on issues that affect the aging population. The purpose of elder law planning is to prepare the elderly person for financial freedom and autonomy through proper financial planning and long-term care options.

End of Life Care: Refers to health care, not only of a person in the final hours or days of their lives, but more broadly care of all those with a terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive, and incurable

Escrow: Is a contractual arrangement in which a third party receives and disburses money or property for the primary transacting parties, most generally, used with plentiful terms that conduct the rightful actions that follow. The disbursement is dependent on conditions agreed to by the transacting parties.

Estate Planning: The process of anticipating and arranging the management and disposal of one’s personal assets during and after one’s life. Typically the goal is to minimize gift, estate, generation skipping transfer, and income taxes.

Fiduciary: Is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties. A fiduciary prudently oversees the care of money or other assets for another person.

FFS: See Fee-For-Service

Fee-For-Service: Is a payment model where services are unbundled and paid for separately. In health care, it gives an incentive for physicians to provide more treatments because payment is dependent on the quantity of care, rather than quality of care.

Guardianship: Is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Guardians are typically used in three situations: guardianship for an incapacitated senior, guardianship for a minor, and guardianship for developmentally disabled adults.

Geriatric Care Manager: A person who coordinates services needed to ensure an older person is properly cared for.

Health Advocate: A health advocate is responsible for ensuring a patient receives the best medical care possible. This includes, but is not limited to, helping a person understand what doctors say about his/her illness, treatment options, and an expected recovery process. Health advocates often accompany people to their medical appointments, note doctors’ comments, and ask clarification or additional information as needed. They may also help with processing medical bills, transporting patients to and from medical appointments, and finding needed resources, services and support.

HHS / Health and Human Services: Is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.

Home Health Care: Home Health Care is ordered by your physician and is medically supervised care provided to a person in his or her home. Care is determined based on the needs of the care recipient and may include medical treatment, and some help with activities of daily living. 

Hospice: Is medical care to help someone with a terminal illness live as well as possible for as long as possible, increasing their quality of life through symptom management and coordination of care. Hospice care is ordered by a physician and in most cases will replace other treatment plans. 

IL: See Independent Living

Independent Living: Active retirement living usually in a group setting. Independent living implies that one can take care of all of their own daily needs and services are limited to assist.

In-home Care: Is supportive care provided in the home. Care may be provided by licensed healthcare professionals who provide medical treatment needs or by professional caregivers who provide daily assistance to ensure the activities of daily living are met. In-home care is an out of pocket expense in most cases, however some insurance carriers are providing some assistance. See your insurance provider for details. 

Life Celebration: A celebration of life is held after the burial or cremation of the deceased. It normally occurs a few days after the person passes or up to several weeks later. 

Meals on Wheels: Is a Federally subsidized program that delivers meals to seniors or persons with disabilities that are homebound and who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. 

Medi-cal: The California Medical Assistance Program is California’s Medicaid program serving low-income individuals, including families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and childless adults with incomes below 138% of federal poverty

Medicaid: State provided health coverage. (In California see Medi-cal.) , Available to eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Medicaid is administered by states, according to federal requirements. The program is funded jointly by the states and the federal government. Medicaid can also be a secondary insurance to low income Medicare qualified recipients if eligible.

Medication Management: Medication management is a strategy for engaging with patients and caregivers to create a complete and accurate medication list and assist in managing medications and medication compliance. These services can be provided through Home Health and In-home Care providers.

Memory Care: Is a distinct form of long-term care designed to meet the specific needs of a person with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other types of memory problems.

Mental Health Care: Services devoted to the treatment of mental illness and the improvement of mental health in people with mental health disorders.

Mobility: The ability to physically move one’s body freely or with assistance.

Money Manager: Is a person or financial firm that manages the securities portfolio of an individual or institutional investor. Typically, a money manager employs people with various expertise ranging from research and selection of investment options to monitoring the assets and deciding when to sell them.

NCDs / Neurocognitive disorders: See Cognitive Disorders

Non-Emergency Medical Transport / NEMT: Is transportation by ambulance, wheelchair van, or litter van for those who cannot use public or private transportation. 

Non-medical transportation / NMT: is transportation by private or public vehicle for people who do not have another way to get to their appointment.

Nurse Delegation: Allows nursing assistants working in certain settings to perform certain tasks–such as administration of prescription medications or blood glucose testing–normally performed only by licensed nurses. These tasks are to be supervised by the delegating nurse.

OT / Occupational Therapy: A form of therapy for those recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life.

Palliative Care: Is an interdisciplinary approach to specialized medical and nursing care for people with chronic conditions. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress at any stage of illness. Palliative care is physician ordered and is covered by insurance.

Placement: The act of placing one’s loved one into a care facility. 

Plan of Care: A document developed after the patient assessment that identifies the nursing diagnoses to be addressed in the home, hospital or clinic. The plan of care includes the objectives, nursing interventions, and time frame for accomplishment and evaluation.

PT / Physical Therapy: The treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery.

POLST: A Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment. Is a document that is is discussed and agreed upon with a patient and their physician which creates specific medical orders to be honored by health care workers during a medical crisis.

Public Health: Has been defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals”. Every county has a Public Health Department.

Rehab / Rehabilitation: Is care that can help you get back, keep, or improve abilities that you need for daily life. These abilities may be physical, mental, and/or cognitive (thinking and learning). You may have lost them because of a disease or injury, or as a side effect from a medical treatment.

Respite Care: Is planned or emergency temporary care provided to caregivers of a child or adult. Respite programs provide planned short-term and time-limited breaks for families. In some cases Medicare and other insurance carriers will assist in the cost of Respite Care. See your carrier for information.

Reflexology: Is a type of massage that involves applying different amounts of pressure to the feet, hands, and ears. It’s based on a theory that these body parts are connected to certain organs and body systems. People who practice this technique are called reflexologists.

Reverse Mortgage: Is a mortgage loan, usually secured over a residential property, that enables the borrower to access the unencumbered value of the property. The loans are typically promoted to older homeowners and typically do not require monthly mortgage payments.

Senior Center: Is a type of community center where older adults can congregate to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs.

Skilled Care: A level of care provided by a licensed and registered Skilled RN. 

SNF / Skilled Nursing Facility: SNF / Skilled nursing facility coverage includes the services of nursing care provided by registered professional nurses, bed and board, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social services, medications, supplies, equipment, and other services necessary to the health and recovery of the patient.

SSDI / Social Security Disability Insurance: Is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and designed to provide income supplements to people who are physically restricted in their ability to be employed because of a notable disability.

SSI / Supplemental Security Insurance: Is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes): It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and. It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

Sundowning: The term “sundowning” refers to a state of confusion occurring in the late afternoon and spanning into the night. Sundowning can cause a variety of behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning can also lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn’t a disease, but a group of symptoms that occur at a specific time of the day that may affect people with dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. 

TBI / Traumatic Brain Injury: Is a brain dysfunction caused by an outside force, usually a violent blow to the head

TIA / Transient Ischemic Attack: Is like a stroke, producing similar symptoms, but usually lasting only a few minutes and causing no permanent damage. Often called a ministroke, a transient ischemic attack may be a warning

Transferring: Is the act of moving a senior with low mobility from one position into another safely.

Transitional Care: Refers to the coordination and continuity of health care during a movement from one healthcare setting to either another or to home, called care transition, between health care practitioners and settings as their condition and care needs change during the course of a chronic or acute illness.

UTI / Urinary Tract Infection: An infection in any part of the urinary system, the kidneys, bladder, or urethra. { It should be noted that a severe UTI in a senior can cause confusion and even delirium.

Value Based Care: Value-based healthcare is a healthcare delivery model in which providers, including hospitals and physicians, are paid based on patient health outcomes. Under value-based care agreements, providers are rewarded for helping patients improve their health, reduce the effects and incidence of chronic disease, and live healthier lives in an evidence-based way. Value-based care differs from a fee-for-service or capitated approach, in which providers are paid based on the amount of healthcare services they deliver. The “value” in value-based healthcare is derived from measuring health outcomes against the cost of delivering the outcomes.