chapter 1 vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions from the lecture 'The Nursing Assistant in Long-Term Care' covering healthcare settings, legal requirements, nursing assistant roles, and resident rights.

long-term care (LTC)

Care given in long-term care facilities for people who need 24-hour skilled care.

skilled care

Medically necessary care given by a skilled nurse or therapist.

length of stay

The number of days a person stays in a care facility.

terminal illness

A disease or condition that will eventually cause death.

chronic

Long-term or long-lasting.

diagnoses

Medical conditions determined by a doctor.

home health care

Health care that is provided in a person’s home.

assisted living

Residences for people who do not need 24-hour skilled care, but do require some help with daily care.

adult day services

Care for people who need some help during certain hours, but who do not live in the facility where care is provided.

acute care

24-hour skilled care given in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers for people who require short-term, immediate care for illnesses and injuries.

subacute care

Care given in hospitals or in long-term care facilities for people who need less care than for an acute illness, but more care than for a chronic illness.

outpatient care

Care given to people who have had treatments, procedures, or surgeries and need short-term skilled care.

rehabilitation

Care that is given by specialists to help restore or improve function after an illness or injury.

hospice care

Holistic, compassionate care given to people who have approximately six months or less to live.

activities of daily living (ADLs)

Daily personal care tasks such as bathing; dressing; caring for skin, nails, hair, and teeth; eating; drinking; walking; transferring; and elimination.

person-centered care

A type of care that places the emphasis on the person needing care and his or her individuality and capabilities.

trauma-informed care

An approach to patient care that recognizes that people may have experienced trauma in their lives and that their trauma, experiences, and preferences should be considered while providing care.

Medicare

A federal health insurance program for people who are $65$ or older, have certain disabilities or permanent kidney failure, or are ill and cannot work.

Medicaid

A medical assistance program for people who have a low income, as well as for people with disabilities.

charting

Documenting information and observations about residents.

assistive devices

Special equipment that helps a person who is ill or disabled to perform activities of daily living.

chain of command

The line of authority within a facility.

liability

A legal term that means someone can be held responsible for harming someone else.

scope of practice

The range of tasks that healthcare providers are legally allowed to do according to state or federal law.

care plan

A plan developed for each resident to achieve certain goals; it outlines the steps and tasks that the care team must perform.

policy

A course of action that should be taken every time a certain situation occurs.

procedure

A method or way of doing something.

professionalism

The act of behaving properly when working.

compassionate

Being caring, concerned, considerate, empathetic, and understanding.

empathy

Identifying with the feelings of others.

sympathy

Sharing in the feelings and difficulties of others.

tactful

Showing sensitivity and having a sense of what is appropriate when dealing with others.

conscientious

Guided by a sense of right and wrong; principled.

ethics

The knowledge of right and wrong.

laws

Rules set by the government to help people live peacefully together and to ensure safety.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA)

Law passed by the federal government that includes minimum standards for nursing assistant training ($75\,hours$), staffing requirements, resident assessment instructions, and information on rights for residents.

cite

In a long-term care facility, to find a problem through a survey.

Residents’ Rights

Numerous rights identified in the OBRA law that relate to how residents must be treated while living in a facility; they provide an ethical code of conduct for healthcare workers.

informed consent

The process in which a person, with the help of a doctor, makes informed decisions about his health care.

abuse

Purposeful mistreatment that causes physical, mental, or emotional pain or injury to someone.

physical abuse

Any treatment, intentional or not, that causes harm to a person’s body.

psychological abuse

Emotional harm caused by threatening, scaring, humiliating, intimidating, isolating, or insulting a person, or by treating him as a child.

verbal abuse

The use of spoken or written words, pictures, or gestures that threaten, embarrass, or insult a person.

sexual abuse

Nonconsensual sexual contact of any type.

financial abuse

The improper or illegal use of a person’s money, possessions, property, or other assets.

assault

A threat to harm a person, resulting in the person feeling fearful that he will be harmed.

battery

The intentional touching of a person without her consent.

domestic violence

Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by spouses, intimate partners, or family members.

false imprisonment

The unlawful restraint of someone that affects a person’s freedom of movement; includes both the threat of being physically restrained and actually being physically restrained.

involuntary seclusion

The separation of a person from others against the person’s will.

workplace violence

Verbal, physical, or sexual abuse of staff by other staff members, residents, or visitors.

sexual harassment

Any unwelcome sexual advance or behavior that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

substance abuse

The repeated use of legal or illegal substances in a way that is harmful to oneself or others.

neglect

The failure to provide needed care that results in physical, mental, or emotional harm to a person.

negligence

An action, or the failure to act or provide the proper care, that results in unintended injury to a person.

malpractice

Injury to a person due to professional misconduct through negligence, carelessness, or lack of skill.

ombudsman

A legal advocate for residents in long-term care facilities who helps resolve disputes and settle conflicts.

confidentiality

The legal and ethical principle of keeping information private.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

A federal law that requires health information be kept private and secure and that organizations take special steps to protect this information.

protected health information (PHI)

A person’s private health information, which includes name, address, telephone number, social security number, email address, and medical record number.

Minimum Data Set (MDS)

A detailed form with guidelines for assessing residents in long-term care facilities; must be completed within $14\,days$ of admission.

incident

An accident, problem, or unexpected event during the course of care that is not part of the normal routine in a healthcare facility.