Long-Term Care: A Glossary of Terms

Long-term care comes in many varieties and settings. Some types of care are services that can be provided in a senior's own home; others are residential care options. This book covers all of the following types of long-term care in detail. Here we provide brief definitions of various care options, to help you keep the terms straight as you use this book. Bear in mind that most of these are not formal or technical terms -- what people mean when they use these terms may differ slightly from place to place, or from facility to facility.

Adult Day Care: Services such as meals, social activities, and exercise programs, plus companionship, provided for free or low cost at senior centers or special adult day care centers. for seniors who live independently, either at home or with relatives. See "Supplements to Home Care" in Chapter 2.

Assisted Living: Private apartment in a seniors-only residential facility that offers meals, assistance with personal care and housekeeping, and close monitoring of residents' health and safety, but not nursing or other medical care. See "Assisted Living" in Chapter 3.

Board and Care Facility/Home: A long-term care residence facility -- often small, sometimes in a private home -- in which a resident is provided a room (often shared), meals, assistance with personal care, activities, and health and safety monitoring, but not nursing or other medical care. Also called a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly, a Personal Care Facility, or a Sheltered Care Facility. See "Levels of Care" in Chapter 4.

Continuing Care Retirement Community: A multilevel facility which permits a resident to remain in the facility while moving among Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Nursing Facility care, as the resident's needs require. See "Combination Residential Facilities" in Chapter 3.

Convalescent Home: A general term that could describe either a Nursing Facility or a Board and Care or Sheltered Care home. Like "Rest Home," the term is being used less and less.

Custodial Care Facility: Any long-term care residential facility -- including Nursing Facility, Board and Care Home, Residential Care Facility for the Elderly, Personal Care Facility, and Sheltered Care Facility -- in which residents get a private or shared room, meals, assistance with personal care, physical and social activities, and round-the-clock monitoring. Depending on the level of the facility, residents may also receive regular nursing or other medical care. See "Levels of Care" in Chapter 4.

Extended Care Facility: A long-term care residence offering more than one level of care within the same facility. It may combine Independent Living with Assisted Living, assisted Living with a Custodial Care Facility, a Custodial Care Facility with Skilled Nursing Care, or some other combination of these. It does not necessarily offer all levels of care, as a Continuing Care Retirement Community does. See "Combination Residential Facilities" in Chapter 3.

Geriatric Care Manager: Someone who assists in locating and arranging short-term or long-term care for an elder, either at home or in a residential setting. See "Geriatric Care Managers" In Chapter 1.

Home Care/Home Health Care: Short-term or long-term care at a senior's residence. It can include nursing, some medical and therapeutic services, assistance with personal care and the activities of daily life, housekeeping, and meal preparation. Home care can be provided in a private residence or an Independent or Assisted Living Facility, either by a licensed Home Health Care Agency or by individual paid providers. See Chapter 2.

Home Health Care Agency: Certified by each state and by Medicare, these agencies can provide everything from skilled nursing care and therapy to assistance with grocery shopping and personal paperwork. See Chapter 2.

Hospice Care: Hospice is a special type of care, usually provided in the home, for people who are terminally ill and likely to live less than six months. Hospice does not treat the illness but instead focuses on the patient's comfort, particularly pain and other symptom relief. It also provides respite care for primary caregivers. Medicare pays almost the entire cost of hospice care. See Chapter 6.

Independent Living Residence/Community: A building or community specially designed for and restricted to seniors, offering a rented or purchased apartment or house. They provide on-site common facilities and services, but not personal or health care. See "Independent Living" in Chapter 3.

Intermediate Care Nursing Facility: A residential facility that provides some nursing and other medical care, but not as much as a Skilled Nursing Facility provides. These facilities provide long-term care of the chronically ill or disabled, or short-term care until a patient/resident can be moved to a Custodial Care Facility. See "Levels of Care" in Chapter 4.

Long-Term Care: An extended period -- either permanent or during recovery from a serious illness or injury -- of assistance with basic activities of daily living (sometimes called personal care), such as bathing, eating, dressing, and moving around. It includes monitoring of health and safety and may also include nursing care and physical or other therapy, meals, social activities, and housekeeping. Long-term care can be provided in a private home, organized senior residence, or nursing facility.

Long-Term Care Facility: Any of several types of residences designed and operated to provide on-site assistance with basic activities of daily living and to monitor health and safety. See Chapter 4.

Multilevel Facility: Same as Extended Care Facility, above.

Nursing Facility/Home: A residential care facility that provides long-term custodial care. Depending on the type of facility, it may also provide more or less extensive nursing care and physical or other therapy. See Chapter 4.

Personal Care Facility: Same as Board and Care Home, above.

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE): Another name for a Personal Care Facility or Board and Care Home.

Respite Care: Temporary, part-time company for a dependent elder intended to give the primary caregiver (usually a spouse or other family member) some time off. See Chapter 2.

Rest Home: An old-fashioned term, not used much any longer, for a Long-Term Care facility.

Senior Residence: A residential building or community that is designed for and limited to seniors. This term is often used to refer to Independent Living or Assisted Living. See Chapter 3.

Sheltered Care: Usually refers to a Board and Care Home (see above) but sometimes refers to Assisted Living (see above).

Skilled Nursing Facility: A residential facility that provides round-the-clock medical monitoring and daily, intensive nursing and therapy, as well as all necessary personal care. Usually limited to short-term stays following serious injury, illness, or surgery. See "Levels of Care" in Chapter 4.