Glossary
AAA - Area Agency on Aging
AARP - American Association of Retired Persons
Abuse - Abuse applies to injurious or improper treatment. Abuse can be of a physical,
mental, or emotional nature.
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) - This is a term that refers to those things that
people do every day to take care of themselves, such as bathing, eating, dressing, and using the bathroom
ADC - Adult Day Care
ADHC - Adult Day Health Care
ADI - Alzheimers Disease Initiative
ADL - Activities of Daily Living
ADNet - Adult Day Services Network
Aging and Disability Resource Center
ADRC - Aging and Disability Resource Center The Aging and Disability Resource Center Grant Program, a cooperative effort of the Administration on Aging (AoA) and
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was developed to assist states in their efforts to create a single,
coordinated system of information and access for all persons seeking long term support to minimize confusion, enhance individual
choice, and support informed decision-making.
Adult Day Care - A daytime community-based program for functionally impaired adults that provides a variety
of health, social, and related support services in a protective setting.
Adult Protective Services (APS) - Service which seeks to protect the rights of frail older adults by investigating
cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation as mandated by law.
Advance Directive - Legal documents that let others know your end-of-life wishes
in relationship to your future medical treatment
Advance Directive - Legal documents that let others know your end-of-life wishes
in relationship to your future medical treatment
AFCH - Adult Family Care Home
Aging in Place - Aging in Place is the concept that supports the aging process in
a residential environment. The goal is to maintain independence with dignity in a safe and comfortable environment.
AHCA - Agency for Health Care Administration
ALF - Assisted Living Facility
ALW - Assisted Living for the Elderly Medicaid Waiver
ANDI - Aging Network Development Institute
ANE - Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation
Anxiety Disorders - Illnesses associated with feeling frightened or distressed for
no apparent reason. Anxiety disorders include Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder,
Social Phobias, and General Anxiety Disorder.
APS - Adult Protective Services
ARC - Aging Resource Center
Assisted Living - This is a term that refers to the housing arrangement for people who need
assistance in taking care of themselves. Assisted living includes arrangements such as a continuing care retirement community,
an assisted living community, a group home setting, or in one's own home utilizing in-home assistance with personal care,
cooking, and/or assistance with housekeeping, etc.
Burnout - Physical, emotional, and/or mental exhaustion.
Caregiver - A caregiver is a person who is responsible for attending to the daily
needs of another person. The care recipient may be a family member, life partner, or friend.
CARES - Comprehensive Assessment and Review of Long Term Care Services
CCDA - Community Care for Disabled Adults
CCE - Community Care for the Elderly
CCRC - Continuing Care Retirement Community
CHIC - Community Health Improvement Council
CIRTS - Client Information Registration & Tracking System
CIS - Client Information System
CM - Case Management
CMS - Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA)
CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant
Congregate Meal Site - Sites (or centers) where seniors can go to eat lunch with
one another
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) - This is a large complex that provides a continuum
of care, from apartments to assisted living units to skilled nursing care. CCRC’s typically require a long-term contract
and can provide a range of services that meet the elder’s changing needs.
COW - Community Outreach and Wellness Program
CPSS - Community Partnership for Senior Services
CSC - Community Service Center
CSS - Community Service System
DCF - Department of Children & Family Services (formerly HRS)
DOEA - Department of Elder Affairs
EHEAP - Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program
F4A - Florida Association of Area Agencies on Aging
FAAN - Florida Association of Aging networks
FADCA - Florida Adult Day Care Association
FAHA - Florida Association of Homes for the Aged
FALA - Florida Assisted Living Association
FAMI - Florida Alliance for Mentally Ill, Inc.
FASC - Florida Association of Senior Citizens
FASP - Florida Association of Service Providers
FCOA - Florida Council on Aging
FFS - Fee for Service
FHCA - Florida Health Care Association
FLAG - Florida Local Action Group
Full-time Care - This is a term that refers to the housing arrangement for people
who need full-time assistance in taking care of themselves. Full-time care arrangements include homes with 24-hour nursing
services (often called skilled nursing facilities) or care in one's own home with a 24-hour caregiver.
GR - General Revenue
GRTS - Geriatric Residential Treatment Systems
H&W - Health and Wellness
HCBS - Home and Community Based Services
HCE - Home Care for the Elderly
HCFA - Health Care Finance Administration - Now CMS - Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services
HCI - Healthy Community Initiative
HHS - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Home Care Services - A variety of services, typically for a fee, that are brought
into the home of the older adult and may include such assistants as: home health aides, in-home physical or occupational therapists,
nutritionists, and/or nurses.
Home Delivered Meal - Meals delivered to the home; most often associated with a nonprofit
agency, e.g., Meals on Wheels
Home Health Care - Includes a wide range of health-related services such as assistance with medications, wound
care, intravenous (IV) therapy, and help with basic needs such as bathing, dressing, mobility, etc., which are delivered at
a person's home.
Home Modification - Adaptation and/or renovation to the living environment intended to increase ease of use,
safety, security and independence. Wheelchair ramps and grab bars are considered home modifications. There are some local,
state, Federal and volunteer programs that provide special grants, loans and other assistance for home remodeling, repair
and modification.
Hospice - A program model for
delivering palliative care to individuals who are in the final stages of terminal illness
Information and Referral/Assistance (
I&R) - Information & Referral Specialists are available to provide assistance and linkage to available services and resources.
Independent Living - This is a term that refers to the housing arrangement for people
who need little or no assistance in taking care of themselves. Independent living includes all types of options such as apartments,
town homes, and single-family homes. Independent Living residents includes those people who have remained in their homes as
they have gotten older, as well as retirement communities, 55+ communities, "active" adult communities, etc.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living - These activities are less related to personal
needs and refers to those routine activities that people do every day such as paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking meals,
cleaning the house, etc.
LTCDPP - Long Term Care Diversion Pilot Program
Managed Care - Method of organizing and financing health care services which emphasizes cost-effectiveness and
coordination of care. Managed care organizations receive a fixed amount of money per client/member per month (called capitation),
no matter how much care a member needs during that month.
Managed-Care Plan - As one option of choice under Medicare, Managed-Care plans combine
health insurance and health care in one pre-determined, comprehensive network of health care providers.
Medicaid - A program of federal and state governments in which states provide health
care for low-income individuals of any age who have little or no assets. The federal government establishes general rules,
but each state administers its own Medicaid program.
Medicare - A program of the federal government that provides health care coverage
for people over 65 and some people with disabilities.
Medigap - This is a popular term for private insurance that individuals can buy to supplement the gaps in
Medicare coverage.
MW - Medicaid Waiver
N4A - National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
NCOA - National Council on Aging
OAA - Older Americans Act
Personal Care - Assistance with activities of daily living as well as with self-administration of medications
and preparing special diets.
Primary Care Physician - A family practice doctor or internist who provides primary
care to the individual and who can, when needed, refer the individual to a medical specialist.
PSA - Planning and Service Area
Respite - Respite is a short period of rest or relief. It might be an afternoon,
a day, or even a week off from caregiving responsibilities. Respite may be delivered in thecaregiver’s home or at a
facility. Examples include adult dayservices or out-of-home respite programs, some of which areoffered by nursing homes for
a fee.
RFP - Request for Proposal
RSVP - Retired Senior Volunteer Program
Senior Center - A Senior Center is a gathering place that offers a variety of leisure
activities for older adults. Some are open from early morning until late evening. Many are open on the weekends.
SHINE - Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders
Special Needs Individuals - Special needs Individuals are those with health or medical conditions
who need assistance during a disaster.
SRA - Senior Resource Alliance
SSI - Supplemental Security Income
STCM - Short-Term Case Management
TTY/TDD - Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf