Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
Activities of Daily Living, also known as “ADLs,” are the day-to-day activities we do to sustain ourselves, such as eating, drinking, bathing, toileting, dressing, and grooming. The appropriate care type for a senior seeking senior living is largely based on the amount and degree of assistance with ADLs required.
Assessment / Care Plan
Shortly before you move into a senior living community (assisted living or memory care), the staff will conduct an assessment. The assessment is a process to gather information about a person’s life, functional abilities and needs, and is used to develop an individualized care plan. The care plan describes the activities that the staff will perform to enhance, restore or maintain one’s optimal physical, mental and social well-being.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney designates who will take care of your affairs if you are unable to decide for yourself in the case of mental or physical incapacitation. Seniors can designate one person to handle health decisions (the health care proxy) and another for financial decisions (the financial proxy) or they can designate one person for both roles.
Executive Director / Activities Director
The Executive Director runs a senior living community. The Activities Director runs events, parties, social and recreational activities at a senior living community.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living IADLs are the secondary level of daily activities we do to sustain ourselves such as cooking, writing and driving.
Living Will or Advanced Health Directive
A living will, also known as an advance health care directive, is used to indicate choices about end-of-life care. For example: Would you want a ventilator and feeding tube used to keep you alive in an irreversible coma? Do you want CPR initiated if your heart stops, even if you are terminally ill? Make sure the designated health care proxy is aware of these decisions.
VA Benefits / Aid and Attendance
The Veterans Benefits Administration provides financial assistance to those who require the aid and attendance of another person. If you are a veteran or were married to a veteran who has passed away, and you need help with ADLs, you may be eligible for an additional amount in addition to your VA pension.
Wills and Trusts
Wills and living trusts are the legal methods used to designate what happens to your possessions and money after you die. A will simply specifies, in writing, who gets what, and how much. A living trust is an alternative to a will. A senior who prefers a trust puts their assets in the trust and names a person to take charge in case of death or incapacitation.
