00Glossary
Glossary
The words nobody explained.
Caring for an aging parent throws a wall of terms at you, from doctors, discharge planners, and forms, usually with no time to ask what they mean. Here they are in plain language: what each one is, why it matters, and what to do about it.
§Terms
01Activities of daily living (ADLs)Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are the basic self-care tasks a person does every day: bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, moving around, and staying continent.02Adult day careAdult day care is a daytime program where your parent spends the day in a supervised setting with activities, meals, and sometimes health services, then goes home at night.03Advance directiveAn advance directive is a legal document where your parent writes down their wishes for medical care and names who should decide if they cannot.04AspirationAspiration is when food, drink, saliva, or stomach contents go into the airway or lungs instead of the stomach, which can lead to choking or pneumonia.05Assisted livingAssisted living is housing where your parent lives in their own apartment but gets help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, meals, and medications.06Capacity vs. competencyCapacity is a clinical judgment about whether your parent can understand and make a specific decision right now; competency is a legal determination made by a court.07Care planA care plan is a written summary of your parent's needs, goals, medications, and who does what, so everyone helping is working from the same page.08Discharge plannerA discharge planner is the hospital staff member, usually a nurse or social worker, who arranges what happens when your parent leaves the hospital.09DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)A DNR is a medical order that tells clinicians not to attempt CPR if your parent's heart or breathing stops.10Durable medical equipmentDurable medical equipment, or DME, is reusable medical gear for home use, such as walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds, and oxygen equipment.11Durable power of attorneyA durable power of attorney is a legal document letting your parent name someone to handle their finances or affairs, and it stays in effect if they lose the ability to decide.12Fall risk assessmentA fall risk assessment is a review by a clinician of the things that make your parent more likely to fall, so those risks can be reduced.13Geriatric care managerA geriatric care manager is a professional, often a nurse or social worker, you can hire to assess your parent's needs and coordinate their care.14Guardianship vs. conservatorshipGuardianship and conservatorship are court arrangements that give someone authority over a person who can no longer decide for themselves, generally over personal and medical matters versus finances.15Healthcare proxyA healthcare proxy is the person your parent names to make medical decisions for them when they cannot make those decisions themselves.16Home care vs. home healthHome care is non-medical help with daily life; home health is skilled medical care ordered by a doctor and often covered by insurance for a limited time.17HospiceHospice is comfort-focused care for a parent who is nearing the end of life, when treatment aimed at curing the illness has stopped.18In-home caregiver (private duty)An in-home or private duty caregiver is a paid aide who comes to your parent's home to help with daily tasks, usually paid for privately rather than by insurance.19Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)Instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs, are the more complex tasks of running a household: managing money, medications, cooking, shopping, transportation, and using the phone.20Living willA living will is a written statement of the medical treatments your parent would or would not want if they were dying or permanently unable to decide.21Medicare vs. Medicaid (for long-term care)Medicare is health insurance for people 65 and older that pays little for long-term custodial care; Medicaid is a needs-based program that does cover long-term care once your parent qualifies financially.22Medication reconciliationMedication reconciliation is the process of comparing every medication your parent is actually taking against the list on record to catch errors, duplicates, and dangerous combinations.23Memory careMemory care is a specialized type of assisted living designed for people with dementia, with a secured setting and staff trained in memory loss.24Palliative carePalliative care is specialized care focused on relieving symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness, and it can be given at any stage alongside treatment meant to cure.25POLSTA POLST is a medical order, signed by a clinician, that turns your parent's wishes for serious-illness care into instructions emergency responders and hospitals must follow.26PolypharmacyPolypharmacy is being on many medications at once, which raises the risk of side effects, harmful interactions, and mistakes.27Pressure ulcer (bedsore)A pressure ulcer, or bedsore, is skin and tissue damage caused by staying in one position too long, so constant pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin.28Respite careRespite care is short-term care for your parent that gives you, the regular caregiver, a break.29Skilled nursing facilityA skilled nursing facility provides round-the-clock nursing care and is used both for short-term rehab after a hospital stay and for long-term care.30SundowningSundowning is a pattern where a person with dementia becomes more confused, restless, or agitated in the late afternoon and evening.31Transitions of careTransitions of care are the moves your parent makes between care settings, such as home to hospital to rehab, where things are most likely to go wrong.
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