Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Daily activities such as getting out of bed, walking, bathing, dressing, eating and taking medications.
Assisted Living: A residential facility offering a homelike environment and more privacy than other types of institutions. Services vary, but most include activities that encourage social interaction as well as community feeding, transportation and cleaning. The degree of medical care available varies.
Benefit period: A designated period of time during and after a hospitalization for which Medicare Part A will pay benefits.
Custodial care: The level of care required to assist an individual with the Activities of Daily Living and other personal needs. Unlike skilled care, it can be provided by persons without extensive training or professional licenses.
Home care/home health care: Long-term care that allows seniors to stay in their own homes. Home care may include chore services such as meal preparation, shopping, laundry, housecleaning or money management; or personal/custodial care. Home health care refers to nursing, health monitoring or medical care provided in the home.
Hospice: A public agency or private organization that provides special care for terminally ill people and their families – pain relief, symptom management, counseling and other support. Hospice care may be provided at home or, occasionally, in a hospice facility.
Intermediate care: Like skilled care, intermediate care is provided under a doctor’s supervision by skilled medical personnel. It may be less specialized and more intermittent than skilled care – occasional rather than 24-hour care.
Intermittent care: Unlike long-term care, intermittent care refers to services needed only for a limited period following a hospital stay, usually for an acute or curable condition.
Long-term care: The range of medical, personal and social services designed to meet the needs of people with chronic disabilities and prolonged illnesses.
Managed care: An insurance plan in which you pay a monthly premium for a complete package of services through an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), CMP (Competitive Medical Plan) or similar type of provider. This may also be referred to as coordinated care.
Medicaid: A financial assistance program that helps cover medical care for low-income individuals and families, administered by state government with federal assistance.
Medicare: The federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older, people of any age with permanent kidney failure, and some disabled people under 65. Medicare comes in two parts: Hospital Insurance (Part A) and Medical Insurance (Part B).
SHIBA: Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, the Washington state program that trains senior volunteers to counsel their peers one-on-one regarding health insurance issues, questions and problems. SHIBA counseling and education is free, impartial and confidential.
Skilled care: When conditions require the care of skilled medical staff (such as registered nurses or physical therapists) it is called skilled care. In most cases, it must be ordered by a physician before insurance will cover it.
Glossary/definitions courtesy of SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) in a booklet sponsored by Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. This publication was made possible by Insurance Counseling and Assistance (ICA) program grant funds from the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration.
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