Chapter 1 - The Nursing Assistant in Long-Term Care

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the key terms and definitions for Nursing Assistant roles, healthcare settings, and legal/ethical standards in long-term care as outlined in Hartman's Chapter 1.

Long-term care (LTC)

Care provided on an ongoing basis for people who need help because of chronic illness, disability, or other conditions.

Long-term care facility (LTCF)

A healthcare setting where residents live and receive ongoing care and assistance.

Skilled nursing facility (SNF)

Another common name for a long-term care facility, often called a nursing home.

Skilled care

Medically necessary care performed by or under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals.

Chronic conditions

Conditions that last a long time and may require ongoing care.

Acute condition

A condition that begins suddenly and is generally short-term.

Terminal illness

An illness that is expected to lead to death.

Diagnosis

The identification of a disease or condition by a qualified healthcare provider.

Residents

People who live in long-term care facilities because the facility is their home for the duration of their stay.

Assisted living

A setting for people who need some help or supervision with daily activities but do not require continuous skilled nursing care.

Adult day services

Programs that provide care, activities, and supervision during certain daytime hours while the person continues to live at home.

Rehabilitation care

Care provided by specialists to restore or improve function after illness or injury.

Hospice care

Comfort-focused care for people who are nearing the end of life rather than care aimed at curing the illness.

Subacute care

Care for people who need more treatment than typical long-term care but less intensive care than an acute hospital.

Home healthcare

Healthcare services provided to a person in the person's home.

Person-centered care

Care that respects each resident's individual needs, preferences, choices, values, and goals.

Trauma-informed care

Care that recognizes the possible effects of past trauma and avoids actions that may cause unnecessary distress or re-traumatization.

CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers Medicare and works with states to administer Medicaid.

Medicare

A federal health insurance program primarily for people age 65 and older and certain younger people who qualify.

Medicaid

A joint federal and state program that helps eligible people with limited income and resources pay for healthcare, including qualifying long-term care.

Charting (Documenting)

Recording accurate, objective facts about care provided, observations made, and resident status in the appropriate record.

Scope of practice

The tasks a healthcare worker is legally permitted and trained to perform.

Care plan

An individualized written plan that identifies a resident's needs, goals, and the care that should be provided.

Chain of command

The line of authority in a facility that shows who reports to whom.

Registered Nurse (RN)

Assesses residents, develops and evaluates nursing care, performs nursing procedures, administers medications, and supervises members of the nursing team.

LPN/LVN

Provides nursing care and treatments within the practical/vocational nurse scope, usually under the direction of an RN or physician.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

Has additional education and may diagnose, treat, and prescribe within state law and their specific role.

Physician or Doctor

Diagnoses medical conditions and prescribes treatments.

Physician assistant (PA)

Provides medical care such as examinations, diagnosis, and treatment under applicable laws and collaborative/supervisory arrangements.

Physical therapist (PT)

Focuses on improving movement, strength, balance, mobility, and physical function.

Occupational therapist (OT)

Helps people perform activities of daily living and function as independently as possible.

Speech-language pathologist (SLP)

Helps with speech, communication, cognition, and swallowing problems.

Registered dietitian (RD/RDN)

Assesses nutritional needs and plans appropriate diets.

Medical social worker (MSW)

Helps residents and families with psychosocial needs, resources, counseling, and discharge or care planning.

Activities director

Plans and coordinates activities that support residents' social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Policies

Facility rules or guidelines that direct how work and care should be handled.

Procedures

The specific steps used to carry out tasks safely and correctly.

Professionalism

Behaving responsibly and appropriately at work while following ethical standards, policies, and the scope of practice.

Compassionate

Showing concern for another person's needs, feelings, and suffering.

Honest

Telling the truth and acting truthfully.

Tactful

Communicating with sensitivity and consideration for another person's feelings.

Conscientious

Being careful, responsible, and committed to doing work correctly.

Dependable

Being reliable and doing what is expected consistently.

Unprejudiced

Providing fair care without judging or discriminating against people because of their background, identity, beliefs, or characteristics.

Proactive

Taking appropriate action to prevent problems or address needs rather than waiting for a problem to worsen.

OBRA of 1987

Established federal standards related to nursing home care, residents' rights, and nurse aide training and competency.

Survey

An inspection used to determine whether a facility follows required state and federal regulations.

Informed consent

A person's right to receive needed information about a treatment or procedure before agreeing to it.

Confidentiality

Keeping a resident's private information from being shared with people who do not have a legitimate need to know.

Abuse

Intentional mistreatment that causes or may cause physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or financial harm.

Physical abuse

Intentional use of physical force that causes or may cause injury, pain, or impairment.

Psychological or emotional abuse

Actions that cause emotional pain, fear, distress, humiliation, or intimidation.

Verbal abuse

Using spoken or written words to threaten, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or harm a person emotionally.

Sexual abuse

Any nonconsensual sexual contact or sexual activity.

Financial abuse

Improper or unauthorized use of another person's money, property, or resources.

Assault

Threatening or attempting to touch or harm a person without consent in a way that makes the person fear harm.

Battery

Intentional physical contact with a person without consent.

False imprisonment

Unlawfully restricting a person's freedom of movement.

Involuntary seclusion

Separating a resident from others against the resident's will when it is not medically or legally justified.

Neglect

Failure to provide needed care or services, resulting in or risking harm.

Negligence

Careless or improper performance of duties that fails to meet expected standards and may cause harm.

Malpractice

Professional negligence by a person who has a professional license or specialized professional duty.

Ombudsman

A person who advocates for residents in long-term care and helps investigate or resolve complaints about care and rights.

HIPAA

Legislation with the basic purpose to protect the privacy and security of a person's health information.

Medical record

The legal record containing information about a resident's condition, care, treatments, and services.

Minimum Data Set (MDS)

A standardized assessment used in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities to collect information about a resident's health and functional status.

Incident

An accident, problem, or unexpected event during the course of care.

Incident report

A confidential facility report used to document an accident, problem, or unexpected event.

Holistic care

Care that considers the whole person, including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

Personal care tasks people normally do each day, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting, and moving about.