Once thought to be associated only with the elderly, long-term care consists of a variety of services for people of all ages. These individuals may be young or old, may need assistance with activities of daily living, may have chronic health care needs, may live at home or in a nursing home, or may need mental or physical rehabilitation services.
Long-term care includes a wide range of health and personal care services, from simple assisted living arrangements to intensive nursing home care for disabled or elderly, to respiratory therapy. It may include services such as children’s feeding programs, nutritional services, occupational and physical therapy, or skilled nursing care. Long-term care provides the quality of care and quality of life needed for those facing a serious or long-term health care need. For those living in rural areas, long-term health care needs may also be magnified, including lack of services, long distances from clinics and hospitals, lack of health care personnel, or lack of home health agencies.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
AARP: Long-Term Care
Web site
Provides long-term care information, research results and policy insights about access to health care, finances, benefits, services, Medicare, and insurance.
Aging and Disability Resource Centers
Web site
Designed to streamline access to long-term care. Assists states in creating a single, coordinated system of supports and services for persons seeking long term support.
Eldercare Locator
Database
Connects older Americans and their caregivers with sources of information on senior services.
Links those who need assistance with state and local area agencies on aging and community-based organizations that serve older adults and their caregivers.
Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)
Database
Created by the Federal Long-Term Care Security Act. The only Congressionally authorized long-term care insurance program for current and retired Federal government employees and their families. Provides information on long-term care insurance including contacts, FAQs, and application forms.
Health Policy Center: Disability and Long Term Care
Web site
Presents research, publications, and statistics on issues in long term care. Includes trends, delivery system innovations, and costs.
Long Term Care Hospital PPS
Database
Discusses the implementation of a per diem prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) covering all costs (routine, ancillary, and capital) related to the services furnished to beneficiaries under Part A of the Medicare program.
Long-Term Care
Web site
Provides information on research activities, conferences, and meetings related to long-term care.
LTCFocUS.org
Web site
A project of the Shaping Long-Term Care in America Project at Brown University Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research. Provides data on nursing home care in the United States. Includes national and state-level data on the health status of nursing home residents, characteristics of care facilities, staffing, and state and local policies. Includes a custom map-mapping tool.
National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information
Web site
Provides information and resources for help in planning for future long-term care needs. Includes information on services and financing options.
National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce
Web site
Provides a national on-line library regarding direct-care staffing in long-term care. Includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices.
National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)
Web site
Provides grants to States and Territories, based on their share of the population aged 70 and over, to fund a range of supports that assist family and informal caregivers to care for their loved ones at home for as long as possible.
National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
Web site
Provides support, technical assistance, and training to the 53 State Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs and their statewide networks of almost 600 regional programs. Works to enhance the skills, knowledge and management capacity of the State programs to enable them to handle residents' complaints and represent resident interests.
National Nursing Home Survey
Web site
Presents a continuing series of national sample surveys of nursing homes, their residents, and their staff. This will be replaced in 2012 when the National Center for Health Statistics will launch the new National Survey of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP).
National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services
Web site
Provides leadership, technical assistance, education, and research for home and community-based services for individuals with disabilities. Formerly called Cash & Counseling.
National Survey of Long-Term Care Providers
Web site
Beginning in 2012, the National Center for Health Statistics will launch the new National Survey of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). NSLTCP will replace the previously conducted The National Nursing Home Survey, The National Home and Hospice Care Survey, and most recently, The National Survey of Residential Care Facilities.
National Survey of Residential Care Facilities
Web site
Presents studies of residential care communities including residential care facilities, assisted living residences, board and care homes, congregate care, enriched housing programs, homes for the aged, personal care homes, and shared housing establishments that are licensed, registered, listed, certified, or otherwise. This will be replaced in 2012 when the National Center for Health Statistics will launch the new National Survey of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP).
Nursing Home Compare
Database
Provides detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.
Nursing Home Quality Improvement Initiative
Web site
Contains the Nursing Home Quality Measures that CMS and HHS identified regarding residents in nursing homes. Measures are divided into two groups, long-term (chronic care) residents and short stay (post-hospital care) residents.
Preparedness Resources for Healthcare Facilities
Web site
Helps hospitals and health care facilities improve preparedness for disasters and large-scale emergencies. Includes resources for long-term acute and chronic care.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
Web site
Addresses the needs of long-term care clients, providers, and payers. Features a comprehensive service delivery system and integrated Medicare and Medicaid financing. Permits loved ones to continue living at home while receiving services rather than being institutionalized.
Rural Health Research: Long Term Care
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of long term care, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Technology for Long-Term Care
Database
Contains information on hundreds of technology products to improve quality of life and care for people in long-term care settings such as nursing homes, assisted living, boarding care, and adult day care programs.
VA Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care Hospice & Palliative Care
Web site
Provides information for Veterans of all ages regarding geriatrics and extended care, also known as long term care.
Maps & Map Collections
Elderly Populations
Interactive
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the percent of population who are 65 years or older nationwide by county. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.
Date: 2000
Long Term Care Hospitals
Interactive
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the location of long term care hospitals nationwide by state. Data source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 2009.
Date: 2010
Skilled Nursing Facilities
Interactive
Geographic coverage: United States
Printable map that shows the location of skilled nursing facilities nationwide by state. Data source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 2009.
Date: 2010
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
The first-ever national probability sample survey of residential care facilities with four or more beds. Collected data on residential care providers, their staffs and services, and their current residents. Interviews were completed with 2,302 facilities, and data were collected on 8,094 sampled residents.
Date: 12 / 2011
2010 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Topics for this year include: home and community based care for rural seniors, rural primary care workforce, and rural health care provider integration.
Date: 05 / 2010
2010-2011 National Survey of Customer and Employee Satisfaction in Assisted Living Facilities
Sponsoring organization: American Health Care Association
Includes data from 1348 assisted living communities representing 48 states. Describes trends in resident, caregivers, and family satisfaction in assisted living communities across the United States.
Date: 12 / 2011
2010-2011 National Survey of Customer and Employee Satisfaction in Nursing Homes
Sponsoring organization: American Health Care Association
Includes data from 35% of the nursing facilities in the United States, representing 5466 facilities. Describes trends in consumer and workforce satisfaction in nursing homes across the United States.
Date: 12 / 2011
2011 Annual Quality Report: A Comprehensive Report on the Quality of Care in America’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Facilities
Sponsoring organization: American Health Care Association
Details quality improvement trends in the nation's nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities. Co-sponsored by the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care.
Date: 2011
Across the States 2009: Profiles of Long-Term Care and Independent Living
Author(s): Ari N. Houser, Wendy Fox-Grage, Mary Jo Gibson
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Covers many facets of long-term care and independent living in each state and the District of Columbia. Presents comparable state-level and national data for 150 indicators. Link includes access to the newest full report and executive summary as well as past editions.
Date: 07 / 2009
CMS Manual System: Revisions to Appendix PP, “Guidance to Surveyors of Long Term Care Facilities”
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Provides the revised version of the long term care section of the CMS Manual, rule changes display in red text.
Date: 06 / 2009
Design and Operation of the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
An overview of the NSRCF that was conducted between March and November 2010. Discusses the survey objectives, the design process, and the survey methods used to collect and compile information on residential care facilities and their residents. National data was collected on 2,302 facilities and 8,094 current residents.
Date: 11 / 2011
Developing and Implementing Rural Respite and Crisis Nursery Programs
Sponsoring organization: ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center
Discusses rural respite programs for children and how to establish these types of programs.
Date: 08 / 2010
Expanding Rural Elder Care Options: Models That Work
Author(s): Peter Fitzgerald, Andy Coburn, Sharon K. Dwyer
Sponsoring organization: National PACE Association
Proceedings from the 2008 Rural Long Term Care Access and Options Workshop, which discussed model options for home, community, and facility-based care by care coordination systems that enhance autonomy and quality of life for rural elders.
Date: 06 / 2009
Health Reform: The Nursing Home Provisions
Sponsoring organization: Center for Medicare Advocacy
Focuses on provisions affecting nursing homes as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
Date: 06 / 2010
Home and Community-Based Long-Term Services and Supports for Older People
Author(s): Enid Kassner
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Discusses programs that pay for long-term services and supports for older people including Medicaid, state funds, and public funding.
Date: 05 / 2011
How Do the Residents in Assisted Living and Nursing Homes Compare?
Sponsoring organization: Center for Excellence in Assisted Living
Presents data from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey and from an industry-sponsored survey that show important ways in which these two types of services are converging and ways in which they are still quite different.
Date: 11 / 2007
Long-Term Care: Consumers, Providers, Payers, and Programs
Author(s): Carol O'Shaughnessy, Julie Stone, Thomas Gabe, Laura B. Shrestha
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
Discusses selected characteristics of long-term care consumers and providers and describes payers and selected programs that finance long-term care services.
Date: 03 / 2007
Long-Term Services and Supports: Opportunities in the Affordable Care Act
Author(s): Sarah Barth, Julie Klebonis, Nancy Archibald
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
Describes the different LTSS program options available with emphases on budget, application processes, care coordination, requirements, and data reporting.
Date: 12 / 2011
Medicaid and Long-Term Care Services and Supports
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Provides an overview of long-term care services, delivery of such services, and the large role Medicaid plays in financing long-term care.
Date: 03 / 2011
Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Care: Toward More Home- and Community-Based Options
Author(s): Gretchen Engquist, Cyndy Johnson, Alice Lind, Lindsay Palmer Barnette,
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
Outlines initial federal policy suggestions for reforming the nation’s Medicaid-funded LTSS system.
Date: 05 / 2010
Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Supports and Services: Snapshots of Innovation
Author(s): Gretchen Engquist, Cyndy Johnson, William Courtland Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
Identifies high-quality and cost-effective strategies for urban and rural areas when addressing the full range of clinical and long-term supports and services (LTSS) needs of Medicaid beneficiaries.
Date: 05 / 2010
Medicare Payment Basics: Long-term Care Hospitals Payment System
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Provides an overview of Medicare payments for long-term care services. Includes information on how payment rates are set.
Date: 10 / 2011
New Nursing Home Population: The Young
Author(s): Joseph Shapiro
Sponsoring organization: National Public Radio
Discusses the number of young people, ages 31 to 64, who make up 14 percent of the nursing home population, an analysis of federal data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Date: 12 / 2010
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Impacts on Rural People, Places, and Providers: A First Look
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
Summarizes six issue areas of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and discusses implications for access to services and improving the health status of rural residents. These issue areas are: health insurance coverage; Medicare and Medicaid payment; quality, financing, and delivery system reform; public health; healthcare workforce; and long-term care.
Date: 09 / 2010
Place to Call Home: What the Future of Elder Care Should Be
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Discusses the Green House, which is a place where elders can receive assistance and support with daily living and clinical care without the assistance and care becoming the focus of their existence. Also discusses the Green House model, developing a business plan, and how it could be replicated.
Date: 12 / 2007
Profiles of State Innovation: Roadmap for Managing Long-Term Supports and Services
Author(s): Alice Link, Suzanne Gore, Lindsay Barnette, Stephen Somers
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
Identifies five states that demonstrate expertise in managed care approaches for individuals with long-term care needs. States included are Arizona, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Date: 11 / 2010
Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Manual
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Includes the CMS PACE Manual. Explains requirements, marketing, enrollment, services, eligibility, benefits, and documentation. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 06 / 2011
Residential Care and Assisted Living Compendium: 2007
Author(s): Robert Mollica, Kristin Sims-Kastelein
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Describes regulatory provisions and Medicaid policy for residential care settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Date: 11 / 2007
Residential Care Facilities: A Key Sector in the Spectrum of Long-Term Care Providers in the United States
Author(s): Eunice Park-Lee, Christine Caffrey, Manisha Sengupta, Abigail J. Moss, Emily Rosenoff, Lauren D. Harris-Kojetin
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
Presents national estimates of residential care facilities and compares characteristics and services by facility size.
Date: 12 / 2011
Systems of Care: Environmental Scan of Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Supports and Services
Author(s): Gretchen Engquist, Cyndy Johnson, William Courtland Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
Provides an overview of the current status of the publicly funded long-term care delivery system and promote an enhanced understanding of the opportunities and obstacles for LTSS reform and re-balancing.
Date: 05 / 2010
Youth in Nursing Homes Seek Alternative Care
Author(s): Joseph Shapiro
Sponsoring organization: National Public Radio
Discusses that despite alternatives for long-term care, many disabled young people remain in nursing facilities.
Date: 12 / 2010
Journals
Caring for the Ages
Published monthly. Contains information for long-term care practitioners including clinical, policy, research, risk management, infection control, quality of care, and systems management.
Provider Magazine
Published monthly. Contains information for long term care professionals including upcoming legislation, regulations, quality care and improving operating efficiencies.
Organizations
Administration on Aging (AoA)
Federal government
Advocates for older persons and their concerns at the federal level. Administration on Aging (AoA) works closely with its nationwide network of State and Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). Provides home and community-based services to millions of older persons through the programs funded under the Older Americans Act.
Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (The Alliance)
National organization
Coalition of 12 post-acute and long term care organizations that provide skilled nursing care to seniors and disabled in 1400 facilities in 44 states.
American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA)
National organization
Provides access to opportunities for long-term care administrators such as conferences, online educational programs and networking.
American Health Care Association (AHCA)
National organization
Advocates quality in long-term care. Comprised of a federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing approximately 11,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for more than 1.5 million elderly and disabled individuals nationally.
American Medical Directors Association (AMDA)
National organization
Provides education, advocacy, information, and professional development for those professional medical directors and physicians practicing in the long term care continuum.
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center
National organization
Assists and promotes the development of quality respite and crisis care programs. Helps families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities. Includes the National Respite Locator Program.
Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Promotes high-quality assisted living. Serves as a national clearinghouse on research, practices, and policy. Consists of 11 national organizations.
Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to promote high quality health care services for low-income populations and people with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
International Ombudsman Association
International organization
Provides standards and best practices for those who are advocates for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living facilities. Act as intermediaries between organizations and internal or external constituencies in rural or urban areas.
LeadingAge
National organization
Formerly called American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Represents 5,600 not-for-profit nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living and senior housing facilities, and home and community-based service providers. Works to advance the vision of healthy, affordable, and ethical aging services for America.
Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)
National organization
Works to bring meals to seniors in need including men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. Supports the Rural Initiative, a model for the rural Senior Nutrition Program.
National Adult Day Care Services Association (NADSA)
National organization
Provides programs designed to meet the needs of functionally and/or cognitively impaired adults. Provides listing of state associations. Explains the steps in how to open up an adult day care center.
National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)
National organization
Serves the needs of the assisted living community through national advocacy, education, networking, professional development, and quality initiatives.
National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care
National organization
Develops and implements a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. Endorses a set of national voluntary consensus standards to measure the quality of care at nursing homes.
National PACE Association (NPA)
National organization
Works to advance the efforts of Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). PACE programs coordinate and provide all needed preventive, primary, acute, and long term care services so that older individuals can continue living in the community.
National Resource and Policy Center on Rural Long-Term Care (NRPCRLTC)
National organization
Strives to improve the availability of and access to in-home and community-based long-term care services for elderly and disabled persons in rural areas across the United States.
National Volunteer Caregiving Network
National organization
Formerly called Faith in Action. Provides resources for volunteer caregiving programs such as technical assistance, training teleconferences, an annual national conference, and links to other websites that offer information for volunteer caregiving programs and individuals. This in an interfaith volunteer caregiving program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Pioneer Network
National organization
Provides information in the field of aging and long term care. Focuses on providing home and community for elders.
Veterans-Express
Nonprofit/Foundation
Assists qualified seniors and veterans interested in assisted living, receive the benefits to help pay for their services and rent. Assists families in gathering knowledge about benefits they may be entitled to.
Visiting Angels
National organization
Consists of non-medical, private duty home care agencies providing senior care, elder care, personal care, respite care, and companion care to help the elderly and adults continue to live in their homes across America. Provides up to 24 hour care.
Terms & Acronyms
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Physical functions that an independent person performs each day, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, walking or wheeling, and transferring into and out of bed.
Adult Day Care Center Community based program offering structured activities and meals. Some health services may be offered for an additional fee. Transportation may be provided. Most programs operate during the week and can be attended full or part-time.
Adult Day Health Care Provision of care and services in a residential health care facility or approved extension site, on an outpatient basis, under the medical direction of a physician. Services are in accord with a comprehensive assessment of care needs and individualized health care plan.
Assisted Living Facility (ALF) Licensed residential facility that provides room, board and 24 hour personal care to individuals with long term care needs.
Caregiver Person who helps you accomplish the basic everyday activities you can no longer manage without assistance, due to illness, injury, or cognitive impairment.
Chronic Care Care provided to help maintain daily function. There is no expectation that the care recipient will improve or recover. Long term care is chronic care.
Community-Based Services Services, such as meals on wheels and adult day care, designed to help people remain independent and in their own homes.
Companion Care Nonmedical services that are provided in the patient's home. Examples include, but are not limited to: helping the senior with everyday activities, making meals, grooming, ensuring safety, etc. No medical care is provided.
Custodial Care Services aimed at maintaining your health and/or preventing deterioration in your functional status, provided on an extended basis. Long term care includes custodial care.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME) As defined by Medicare, is equipment which can 1) withstand repeated use, 2) is primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose, 3) generally not useful to a person in the absence of an illness or injury, and 4) is appropriate for use in the home (e.g. wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers).
Formal Care Care which is provided by a home health aide or homemaker arranged or supervised by a home care agency, or provided by a nurse or therapist.
Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) A health and human services professional, such as a gerontologist, nurse, social worker, or psychologist with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care. Geriatric care managers work privately with older adults and their families to create a plan of care that meets the needs of the older adult. They will meet with you to help you understand your loved one's needs and to learn what resources and options are available to meet those needs.
Hands-On Assistance When you require physical help by another person without whom you would not be able to perform the activities of daily living. Some insurance companies measure the inability to perform activities of daily living based on the need for hands-on assistance only.
Home Care Services provided at home which may include nursing care; occupational, physical, respiratory or speech therapy; personal care; and homemaker services.
Home Health Aides Individuals who provide care to older adults or people with disabilities at home such as assistance with activities of daily living, managing medications, and some household tasks.
Hospice Care Hospice/palliative care is provided to enhance the life of the dying person. Often provided in the home by health professionals, today there are many nursing facilities and acute care settings that also offer hospice services. Hospice care, typically offered in the last six months of life, emphasizes comfort measures and counseling to provide social, spiritual and physical support to the dying patient and his or her family.
Long Term Care (LTC) Personal care and other related services provided on an extended basis to people who need help with activities of daily living or who need supervision due to a severe cognitive impairment. It can be provided at home, in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or an adult day care center.
Long Term Care Insurance Insurance that helps defray the costs of assistance with the activities of daily living or the costs of supervision due to a severe cognitive impairment. Benefits are often paid in the form of a fixed dollar amount (per day or per visit) for covered expenses and may exclude or limit certain conditions from coverage.
Medicaid Federal assistance program that helps pay for medically necessary services for needy and low income individuals. The program uses state and federal funds to compensate medical providers serving these populations.
Medicare Federal health care insurance program for most adults age 65 and older and certain disabled individuals. It pays for long term care under limited circumstances and for limited periods of time.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance Program) Hospital insurance that helps pay for inpatient hospital care, limited skilled nursing care, hospice care, and some home health care. Most people get Medicare Part A automatically when they turn 65.
Medicare Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) Medical insurance that helps pay for doctors' services, outpatient hospital care, and some other medical services that Part A does not cover (like some home health care). Part B helps pay for these covered services and supplies when they are medically necessary. A monthly premium must be paid to receive Part B.
Nursing Home Licensed facility that provides 24-hour-a-day room and board, nursing care and personal care services. Nursing homes also provide medical care, therapy, and other health related services.
PACE PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) programs serve individuals with long term care needs by providing access to the entire continuum of health care services, including preventive, primary, acute and long term care. A basic tenet of the PACE philosophy is that it is better for both the senior with long term care needs and the health care system to focus on keeping the individual living as independently as possible in the community for as long as possible.
Personal Care Involves services rendered by a nurse's aide, dietician or other health professional. These services include assistance in walking, getting out of bed, bathing, toileting, dressing, eating and preparing special diets.
Plan of Care Plan prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner that identifies ways of meeting a person's need for long term care services.
Preexisting Conditions Medical conditions that existed, were diagnosed or were under treatment before an insurance policy was taken out. Long term care insurance policies may limit the benefits payable for such conditions.
Private Pay Patients Patients who pay for their own care or whose care is paid for by their family or another private third party, such as an insurance company. The term is used to distinguish patients from those whose care is paid for by governmental programs (Medicaid, Medicare, and Veterans Administration).
Resident A person living in a long-term care facility. Since nursing facilities are licensed health care facilities, residents are often also referred to as patients.
Respite Services Scheduled short-term nursing facility care provided on a temporary basis to an individual who needs this level of care but who is normally cared for in the community. The goal of scheduled short-term care is to provide relief for the caregivers while providing nursing facility care for the individual. Short-term stay beds used for respite care must be distinct from general nursing facility beds.
Senior Housing Independent living units, generally apartments. Any supportive services, if needed, are through contract arrangement between tenant and service provider.
Skilled Nursing Care Nursing and rehabilitative care that can be performed only by, or under the supervision of, licensed and skilled medical personnel.
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provides 24-hour nursing care for chronically-ill or short-term rehabilitative residents of all ages.
Standby Assistance Requirement of the presence of another person, within arms reach, to help perform the activities of daily living. Some insurance companies measure the inability to perform activities of daily living based on the need for standby assistance, rather than or in addition to hands-on assistance.
Terminal Illness An illness or injury determined by a physician or other licensed healthcare professional to be likely to result in your death within six months.
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