Due to the advancements in senior care, it’s completely understandable that some families and their loved ones are confused and overwhelmed by the many terminologies. There are many retirement communities in the United States, including Discovery Village At Alliance Town Center, and each of them offers various senior living options to meet specific needs and expectations. As such, if you’re planning to move your elderly parents to a retirement community or new to the world of senior care, here’s a glossary of essential terms to know about.
Activities of Daily Living
Activities of Daily Living essentially means caring for oneself in order to get through the day smoothly. It can be a guide to determining how independent a resident is. Some of the common Activities of Daily Living include eating, bathing, grooming, mobility, continence management, and taking medications.
Assisted Living Communities
An Assisted Living community is a living option that’s specially designed for older adults who require some levels of care and assistance in their everyday lives. For example, here at Discovery Village At Alliance Town Center, residents in our Assisted Living community have 24/7 access to our medical professionals and receive a tailored care approach.
Aging in Place
Aging in Place refers to the practice of older adults choosing to spend their retirement years in their place of residence. This is a suitable option if they’re physically and mentally capable to reside on their own for most parts of the day and are not prone to dangers or accidents.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive brain disorder that mostly affects the individual’s memory and thinking skills over time. It is the most common form of dementia and the worst symptoms tend to appear after 65 years old. For loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, they would reside in our SHINE® Memory Care community.
Caregiver
A caregiver is a person who is trained or has adequate experience in taking care of older adults, especially if they are unable to care for themselves due to reasons, such as illnesses and lack of mobility. Some of the tasks caregivers perform include helping an older adult to dress up, providing support and care daily, and attending to errands like purchasing groceries and accompanying the older adult to their medical appointments.
Dementia
Dementia is a broad term to describe the impairment of cognitive functioning. Whether it’s thinking, memorizing, or analyzing information, dementia has a huge negative impact on one’s daily life. There are three types of dementia: Alzheimer’s Disease, which is the most common, Vascular Dementia, and Lewy Body Dementia.
Independent Living
As the name suggests, Independent Living is a living option targeted at older adults who are physically and mentally capable to live on their own. The biggest characteristic of this living option is that residents have the freedom to go about their day as they please and plan out their schedule of activities.
Long-Term Care
Let’s say your loved ones have been diagnosed with an illness or suffered from a lack of mobility that prevents them from functioning independently. In this case, they will be given long-term care, which is a range of medical services to meet their medical needs for an extended period of time.
Medicaid
If your loved ones are unable to pay for their health care, they can turn to public assistance care funds, like Medicaid. Depending on the state you’re in, there are certain requirements and eligibility criteria in order for older adults to be qualified for the program.
Medicare
Quite similar to Medicaid, though Medicare is only offered to adults aged 65 years old and above and those who are living with disabilities.
Medication Management
Medication Management is simply putting a system in place for caregivers to assist older adults in taking their medication correctly. Some procedures in a program include noting down the timing of when to take the medication, dosage, and other instructions from medical professionals, to name a few.
Nursing Assistant
A nursing assistant is trained to work in nursing homes, retirement communities, and especially with older adults with disabilities and impairments who cannot carry out their daily tasks independently.
