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Senior Glossary
Medicaid Waiver Programs: Medicaid programs that provide home-care and community-based alternatives to nursing home care. These programs have the potential to reduce Medicaid costs by providing services in innovative ways to people not covered under the traditional Medicare Program. They are often approved on an individual basis, and generally have limited slots available. Needs Assessment: An evaluation of a person’s physical and/or mental status. It is used to create a care plan and to make decisions about the possible need for care. Nursing Home: A facility licensed by the state to offer residents personal care as well as skilled nursing care on a 24-hour basis. Nursing homes provided nursing care, personal care, room and board, supervision, medication, therapies, and rehabilitation. Rooms are often shared and communal dining is common. Nurse Practitioners (NPs): Advanced practice RNs who provide a wide range of healthcare services across healthcare settings. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems; interpret laboratory results and x-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed. Broad NP specialty areas include: acute care, adult health, family health, geriatrics, neonatal, pediatric, psychiatric/mental health, school health, and women’s health. Older Americans Act: Federal legislation specifically addressing the needs of older adults. It provides funding for aging services such as home-delivered meals, congregate meals, senior centers, employment programs to the independence and quality of life for older Americans and those who care for them. Creates the structure of the federal Administration on Aging, State Units on Aging, and local agencies that oversee aging programs. Provider: Individual or organization that provides health care or long-term care services (e.g. doctors, hospital, physical therapists, home health aides, and more). Quality of Care: A measure of the degree to which delivered health services meet established professional standards and judgments of value to the consumer. Rehabilitation Services: Services designed to improve/restore a person’s functioning. These include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and/or speech therapy. The services are provided at home or in long-term care.
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Frequently Used Aging Terms
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