Healthcare providers commonly use acronyms for care and medical abbreviations. Learn the top 10 care-related acronyms that every caregiver and older adult should know.
Each term relates to the others to provide a foundation of information that caregivers and older adults can use to expand their vocabulary of commonly used acronyms in care and health systems.
Awareness of these acronyms and terms will help aging adults and their caregivers increase their understanding of advancing daily healthcare needs and the decisions that may have to be made.
Each acronym caregivers should know listed below has links to additional articles on this website to give you a deeper understanding of each term.
1 ADL (activities of daily living)
Activities of daily living include bathing, continence, eating, dressing, toileting, and transferring. Most people do these activities without giving them much thought.
However, with age,
increasing health problems, and physical weakness, bathing or taking a shower can be exhausting for an older adult. Additionally, stepping into the bathtub or standing in the shower on a slippery surface can present a fall risk that can result in broken bones.
Sitting down and getting up from the toilet can be challenging for older adults with weak arms or legs. Additionally, getting out of bed or walking up and down a flight of steps requires a degree of leg and core body strength.
Needing assistance with activities of daily living is one of the main reasons that older adults need assistance from adult children or paid caregivers. As difficulty increases in performing ADLs, some adults consider moving into a care community where assistance with these and other activities is provided.
2 IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living)
Instrumental activities of daily living are activities related to coordinating ongoing life activities. IADLs are activities like paying bills and managing money, opening and sorting mail, using the computer for emails, research, ordering groceries online and other personal projects,
managing medications, making phone calls, scheduling medical appointments, preparing meals, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and driving or using public transportation.
If you are an adult child and your parent is starting to have difficulties managing ADLS or IADLs, you may want to initiate a discussion about care and care planning if this has not already occurred.
By learning everything you can about how ADLS and IADLS impact the care needs of aging parents, you can encourage your parents to do everything they can to remain healthy, physically strong, and independent.
ADLS and IADLs work in combination and are frequently used by healthcare providers. So, these are the first two acronyms that every caregiver and older adult should know.
3 LTC (long term care)
Long-term care is next on the list of acronyms every caregiver and older adult should know. Families should discuss long-term care, especially when aging parents have a substantial number of health concerns and family caregivers are providing daily assistance.
Long-term care can mean many things depending on the context in which this term is used.
- LTC can relate to long-term care in a nursing home where people live for the rest of their lives.
- LTC can also relate to applying for Medicaid home and community-based services and other programs through a state long-term care waiver program.
- Long-term care services are usually for people who are unable to perform ADLS and IADLS or people who have memory loss and need the assistance of others.
- Long-term care planning can relate to estate, financial, and legal planning so that an older adult has a plan, assistance, and services in place when or if care is needed.
Another acronym that all caregivers should know is long-term care insurance. If your aging parent had the foresight to purchase long-term care insurance, this benefit offers significant advantages. If you are a healthy adult caring for someone in your family, consider the benefits of long-term care insurance for yourself and your spouse or family.
3 a LTCI (long-term care insurance)
A related acronym or abbreviation is LTCI, which is long-term care insurance. LTCI is an acronym all caregivers and older adults should be aware of. Long-term care insurance is voluntary insurance that can be purchased through a job, whether offered or individually.
As the cost of long-term care continues to rise, states like
Washington, New York, and California have implemented or are in the process of implementing mandatory payroll deductions for LTC. Individuals who purchase individual plans can opt out of state programs.
The benefit of purchasing an individual plan is that it applies wherever you choose to live. At least at this point, contributions to state programs only apply to the state where you contribute. If you move to another state, your contributions to the program are lost.
LTCI pays for care costs that many people think Medicare pays for but doesn’t. Many people are shocked to learn that
Medicare does not pay for all health and care costs for people over 65.These costs are paid for individually. So, if you have not investigated long-term care insurance as a component of your retirement plan, investigate it now.
Healthcare costs increase with age, especially if a person has multiple health problems or chooses to spend money on preventative health activities like a gym membership, taking vitamins or supplements, or self-care like acupuncture or massage.
Depending on the policy, LTCI can help pay for in-home caregivers, assisted living, and SNF costs (we’ll talk about SNFs next) and help you stay in your home, which most older adults want to do.
10 Reading Terms All Caregivers and Aging Adults Should Know
Click the red play button in the photo below to watch this video from Pamela D Wilson.
4 SNF (skilled nursing facility)
SNF is pronounced like “sniff.” A SNF is
the place you or an elderly parent go after a hospitalization when you cannot immediately return home because you are too weak to care for yourself. Skilled nursing facilities may also be called rehab centers or nursing homes.
Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan covers the first 20 days. After that, if you want to go home, you may need a plan for caregivers and follow-up care.
While Medicare will pay for an additional 100 days in a skilled nursing facility,
these days come with a hefty co-pay. So, if you or a loved one can motivate yourself to get better, returning home is usually the preferred option.
While few people dream of going to a SNF for rehab, it can be the place to work to become physically stronger so that you can avoid another hospitalization and a nursing home stay. Becoming physically stronger means participating in PT, which will be discussed later in this list of 10 care-related acronyms every caregiver should know.
Advocating for loved ones in SNFs is critical to ensure family members receive the best care.
5 POA (power of attorney)
Power of attorney relates to naming or having a medical and financial power of attorney agent. Everyone needs a POA agent when they need assistance in making medical and financial decisions.
If you work with healthcare providers, they will ask if you have appointed a POA agent or if you are a POA agent for an elderly parent or loved one. This makes POA another top acronym that all caregivers should know more about.
This
website has an entire program about POAs, plus videos on my YouTube Channel based on my experience as a professional power of attorney agent. If you are applying for or need LTC, having a POA, a living will, a will, or a trust is a practical idea.
When thinking about
appointing a POA or becoming a POA agent, there are many considerations.
Completing a full estate plan is an extension of appointing a power of attorney agent.
6 PCP (primary care physician)
A PCP is the doctor one sees for general health problems. While young adults rarely feel the need to see a doctor, it’s good to establish a care relationship with a primary care physician at least for an annual checkup.
Participating in preventative health measures when young can ensure that a person will likely have fewer health conditions or need extensive medical care later in life. The earlier in life you start by seeing a PCP at least once a year, the greater the opportunity you have to
catch any health conditions before they become a potential problem.
7 UTI (urinary tract infection)
Urinary tract infections occur more commonly in the elderly who have Alzheimer’s or dementia or those with multiple health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, depression, or for men with an enlarged prostate gland. In combination, eating a poor diet, being dehydrated, or being in a weakened physical condition can increase the likelihood of a UTI.
Urinary tract infections can also be part of failure to thrive or metabolic syndrome that affects the elderly with multiple health conditions.
The best way to
avoid urinary tract infections is to create a bladder and kidney health maintenance plan for yourself. When in doubt, if you are experiencing frequent urinary tract infections or urinary incontinence, see a urologist or a urogynecologist.
8 DNR (do not resuscitate)
A DRN can be called a
Do Not Resuscitate form or a POLST form (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment). The DNR is usually the bright green piece of paper you complete at your doctor’s office that confirms whether you want to be resuscitated if your heart stops beating and you stop breathing.
Ensure you understand the DNR form thoroughly and the choices you make. Because the DNR form is part of your medical record, it is accessible by healthcare providers who have access to your electronic medical record (EMR).
So, for example, if you complete a DNR at your doctor’s office, the hospital associated with your doctor’s office may also be able to access a copy if they share EMR systems. If you change your DNR, ensure the most recent copy confirms the revocation of all previous versions.
A DNR can also work with a living will that can provide more details about wishes for care. It is also essential that your medical POA knows exactly what type of care you do or don’t want if you are unconscious or unable to tell a doctor or medical personnel what you want.
9 BM (bowel movement)
This one is simple. Daily BMs are good for the body. Constipation is uncomfortable.
Constipation can occur if a person does not drink enough fluids or eat enough fiber. Maintaining a healthy gut and a well-functioning digestive system is very important for all aspects of health.
Many older adults worry about having BMs. The solution is quite simple: eat a cereal like Bran Buds every day, drink enough water, and eat fruits that are high in fiber, like an apple a day, and your digestive system will work smoothly.
You are more likely to get a UTI if you do not drink enough water. If you suffer from incontinence, you may restrict the amount of water you drink so you do not have to get up and go to the bathroom all the time.
Frequent trips to the bathroom are more common with age as pelvic floor muscles become weak. Think of going to the bathroom as cleansing your body of toxins and getting exercise at the same time. Both are good for you.
Learn more about
the habits of people who age well.
10 PT (physical therapy)
A good physical therapist can be worth their weight in gold if you have any physical weakness or injury—even if you are a regular exerciser.
Many older adults who have poor balance, have experienced falls, or have lost physical strength or endurance can
benefit from daily exercise and ongoing physical therapy. Being unable to perform your ADLS independently is a reason to request a physical therapy order.
You can obtain a PT order from your primary care physician if you express concerns about poor balance, physical weakness in your legs, or general issues with walking. If you obtain the order, commit to doing the therapist’s recommended exercises.
You will make more progress if you exercise daily and continue the program recommended by the PT. Health insurance limits PT sessions. So, before your sessions end, ask your therapist to recommend an ongoing program that you can continue to advance with the exercises provided.
Being physically and socially active is the best medicine to live life to its fullest. Plus
if you want to remain living in your home, being physically strong can make this dream a reality.
Care-Related Acronyms Build Health-Literacy Skills
These commonly used care-related acronyms help older adults and caregivers
increase health literacy skills and navigate across healthcare systems.
While doctors and other providers often use care-related acronyms or big words, ask about any terms you do not understand.
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