Comprehensive Guide to Aging, Disabilities, and Cultural Religions in Healthcare

Accessibility Specialist

A professional whose specialty is the application of the ADA law and who determines if a part of the building environment is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and state laws.

Active Adult Community

Life-stage housing in communities for those ages 55 and older that contains health clubs, college classrooms, and computer labs.

Activities Of Daily Living (ADLs)

Daily self-care activities within an individual's place of residence.

Adult Day Care

Care and companionship for seniors who need assistance and/or supervision during the day, as in an 'adult day care center.'

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A medical condition that generally affects older adults and results in a loss of vision at the center of the visual field. It is caused by damage to the retina.

Aging In Place

Remaining in one's home while growing old and modifying the home to accommodate the aging process.

Agrarian

Related to fields or land, or characteristic of farmers or their way of life.

Alzheimer's Disease

A form of dementia that is an incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease.

Cataracts

A clouding that develops over the eye and obstructs the passage of light.

Centenarian

A person who is 100 years old or older.

Chronic Back Problems

Back problems that reoccur or continue long term.

Chronic Health Conditions

Health problems that reoccur or continue long term.

Contrast Glare

An issue with light level changes in which the person is unable to focus from one light level to another.

Crowding

Crowded situations that bring psychological feelings of insecurity and confinement or provide security and stability.

Culture

Customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of an ethnic, religious, or social group.

Double-Loaded Corridors

A corridor with rooms, units, or apartments on both sides.

Dyslexia

A learning disability involving difficulties acquiring and processing language and manifested by lack of proficiency in reading, spelling, and writing.

Glaucoma

A condition in which the optic nerve is damaged; leads to progressive, irreversible loss of vision.

Illumination

The act of lighting to make something visible or bright; the state of being lit.

Influenza

Acute, highly contagious disease caused by a virus and characterized by a sudden fever, sometimes severe muscle aches, and weakness.

Osteoarthritis

A degenerative disease that affects cartilage, bones, and joints.

Osteoporosis

A disease of bones in which bone mineral density is reduced, leading to an increased risk of fracture.

Pneumonia

An acute infection of one or both lungs.

Presbycusis

An age-related hearing loss.

Presbyobia

An age-related condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

A long-term disease that leads to inflammation of joints and surrounding tissues.

Socioeconomic

Relates to or concerns the interaction of social and economic factors.

Tinnitus

A sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring) that is caused by a disturbance of the auditory nerve or wax in the ear; the noise can be heard only by the person affected.

Tuberculosis (Tb)

An infectious disease that attacks the lungs and is spread through the air or saliva.

Veiling Reflection (Or Veiling Glare)

A reflection on a visual task into the viewer's eyes that obscures visibility by reducing contrast.

Buddhism

A group of related eastern philosophies and religions that encompass a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices based on teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (commonly known as the Buddha, meaning 'the awakened one').

Caste System

A system of social stratification based on socioeconomic conditions.

Catholicism

The faith, practices, or system of Catholic Christianity.

Chai

A symbol of life found on jewelry and other ornaments.

Depression

A state of feeling sad; a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, as well as changes in appetite and sleeping with feelings of hopelessness and dejection.

Distance Receptors

Receptors that enable the eyes, ears, and nose to sense objects from a distance.

Five Pillars Of Islam

Framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification through fasting, and pilgrimage.

Garbha Griha

A 'womb chamber,' where a deity is housed in a Hindu temple.

Genxers

Members of Generation X (also known as Gen X or gen-Xers), the generation born after the baby boom, 1965-1980.

Ghanta

A bell at the gate of a Hindu temple.

Global Community

Pertains to the whole world as a group.

Global Market

Pertains to trade in a world context.

Globalization

Processes of international integration arising from an increase in human connectivity and interchange of worldviews, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.

Hinduism

A religion that originated in India that has multiple gods and a wide range of principles and beliefs.

Immediate Receptors

A sense of closeness or touch through the skin, membranes, and muscles.

Inclusive Design

The process of creating products (devices, environments, systems, and processes) that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations (environments, conditions, and circumstances).

Islam

Muslim religion; a monotheistic religion based on the word of God revealed to Muhammad during the seventh century.

Judaism

The monotheistic religion practiced by Jews.

Karma

Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Kiddush Cup

In Judaism, a blessing is recited over the Kiddush cup of wine or grape juice.

Kinesthetic

Using movement to learn and to experience space.

Magen David (Shield Of David)

Also called Star of David; six-pointed star that represents King David's shield.

Mandapa

In Indian architecture, the congregational hall or center section of the temple.

Mandir

In Indian architecture, a worship temple in the home.

Mecca

The holiest city in Islam, considered the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. More generally, the term is used to mean a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest.

Menorah

Seven-branched candelabrum.

Millennials

Also known as Generation Y (GenY); birth dates range from 1981 to the present.

Mosque

A building used for public worship by Muslims.

Muslim

A person who adheres to the Islamic religion.

Olfactory

Relating to the sense of smell.

Protestantism

A form of Christian religion whose practices originated with the principles of the Reformation.

Puja

A religious ritual performed by Hindus.

Shibui

A Japanese approach to design that expresses the connection to nature.

Shikara

A tower that tops the main part of a Hindu temple.

Spiritual

Related to, consisting of, or affected by the spirit—an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical being.

Synagogue

The house of worship and communal center of a Jewish congregation.

Tactile Space

A social distance or closeness (touch) of another human; visual and physical touch of material.

Tallit

A white shawl with fringed corners worn over the head by Jewish males during religious services.

Tefillin

Either of two small leather cases containing texts from the Hebrew Scriptures; traditionally worn on the forehead and the left arm by Jewish men during morning prayer.

Temple

A building devoted to the worship of a god, gods, or other objects of religious significance.

Thermal Space

View of one's environment based on the senses of heat and cold, through thermal detectors of the skin, visual examination, and sense of smell.

Torah

The first five books of Hebrew Scripture and other sacred Jewish writings.

Traditionalists

Generation whose members were born before 1946.

Tzitzit

The fringes or tassels on the corners of the tallit.

Visual Culture

Relates to the constructed environment—artifacts and performances, technologies—and the beliefs, values, and attitudes imbued in those artifacts and performances by the people who make, present, and use them; it is learned from one's surroundings and expands throughout the world, and relates to human development.

Yarmulke

Skullcap or head covering worn by Jewish men and boys in the synagogue and the home; worn by those who adhere to Conservative or Orthodox Judaism.

Asperger'S Syndrome

A developmental disorder resembling autism and widely considered part of the autism spectrum; it is characterized by impaired social interaction, by restricted and repetitive behaviors and activities, and by normal language and cognitive development.

Cerebral Palsy

A group of disorders that involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, hearing, learning, seeing, and thinking.

Concrete Operational Stage

The third stage of development from ages 7 to 11 years.

Formal Operational Stage

The fourth stage of development, ages 11 years and beyond.

Learning Disability

An umbrella term that describes an array of learning disorders.

Learning Style

The way in which an individual most readily acquires and processes information.

Muscular Dystrophy

An inherited disease characterized by progressive wasting of skeletal muscles.

Preoperational Stage

The second stage of development from ages 2 to 7 years.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of development from birth to 2 years.

Wayfinding

A process of navigating through unfamiliar territory.