Studying Long Term Care Glossary

We may know the dictionary’s definition of long term care but we have to admit that we are not familiar with all the jargons that are used in this industry. By looking up a long term care glossary we somehow bring ourselves closer to the world which involves the elderly and disabled.

In planning your long term care you will need to enrich your vocabulary with the most commonly used terms in the health care industry. This especially goes out to individuals who are contemplating buying long term care insurance (LTCI) policies.

LTCI policies bear so many terminologies that can be confusing to one who is not from the long term care (LTC) industry but wishes to learn the ropes.

Various reasons can be attributed to one’s interest in learning the LTC language. Perhaps one of them is the person’s intention to buy an LTCI policy. If he doesn’t understand the words stipulated on a potential policy how will he know if it meets his health care requirements?

Aside from the policy’s major components such as maximum daily benefit amount, benefit period, elimination or waiting period, and inflation protection, other important things to consider in a policy are written in fine print.

In addition, some words in the LTC industry may appear to bear the same meaning as they practically seem to be alike but if you study the list of LTC terminologies that are available online and in books and magazines that tackle LTC, you will come to the realization that every word in the long term care glossary has a specific meaning that you have to ingest in order to avoid interchanging it with another word.

For instance, chronic disease is defined as a disease which constantly evolves and changes its state, and thus, requires rehabilitation but it can also lead to long duration of medical observation and care. Chronic illness, on the other hand, is a permanent illness which may eventually result in one’s disability and need for assistance with his activities of daily living (ADL).

It is important to understand the various LTC terms as this will put you, your LTCI agent, and your health care provider on the same page. If you’re an alien to standard LTC language you will never be able to communicate clearly with people in the industry.

Say a benefit trigger occurred and an elderly woman requested in-home care. She figured that she’ll need much homemaker services but it puzzled her that from the moment the staffer of a home health care agency arrived in her place, she only busied herself with cooking and cleaning every room and crevice in the house paying no attention to the elderly woman’s personal needs.

It was only later on that the elderly woman found out that it’s a home health aide who provides personal care such as assistance with the activities of daily living (ADL).

Now there are terms that may not sound alike but people still interchange them such as the case of chronic care and acute care. Chronic care is defined as care and services which are provided to individuals with functional problems resulting from a longstanding illness. Meanwhile, acute care pertains to the type of care that is provided to patients with a rapid onset of a severe illness which is short-lived by nature.

You don’t have to devour a long term care glossary in one sitting, only when you’re not busy and you’re slumped on the couch. You’ll realize this is better than reading horrendous stories about the economy.