L-M Legal Assistance: Legal advice and representation is available to persons aged 60 and over for certain types of legal matters including government program benefits, tenant rights, and consumer problems. Living Will: A document stating a person’s preferences for future medical decisions, including the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatments; such as artificial nutrition and hydration or the use of equipment, such as ventilators and respirators. Long-Term Care: A general term that describes a range of medical, nursing, custodial, social, and community services designed to help people with chronic health impairments or forms of dementia. Long-Term Care Insurance: This type of insurance policy is designed to cover long-term care expenses in a facility or at home. Managed Care: A method of organizing and financing health care services that emphasizes cost-effectiveness and coordination of care. Managed care organizations receive a fixed amount of money per client/member per month (this is called capitation). The system generally requires members to receive treatment from an approved list of health care facilities and physicians agreeing to provide services at set rates. Meals-on-Wheels: Also known as home-delivered meals that provide hot meals, prepared to government specifications, delivered to homebound persons who cannot prepare their own food. Medicare: This is the national health insurance program for eligible people 65 and older and some disabled individuals. Medicaid: Medicaid is a health benefit program administered by states for low-income people who also meet other eligibility requirements. The health insurance program is financed by the federal and state governments. Medicaid may also pay for nursing home care if the individual’s income and assets are within certain limits. Medigap: Medigap is designed specifically to supplement and complement Medicare’s benefits by filling in some of the gaps of Medicare coverage. Medigap insurance policies are non-group policies that may pay for Medicare deductibles, prescription drugs, or other services not covered by Medicare. Senior Glossary
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Frequently Used Aging Terms
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