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Health Journalism Glossary

Aging Glossary

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  • Accountable care organizations (ACOs) – ACOs are payment models similar to health maintenance organizations but with more financial incentive to improve quality and outcomes while…
  • Active aging – A global movement to support continued participation by older adults and population groups in social, economic, spiritual and cultural opportunities,…
  • Activities of daily living – Activities performed by a person in the course of a normal day include bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, walking, taking medications,…
  • Adult care home – Also known as board and care homes, group homes, or adult foster care, adult care homes are private residences that…
  • Advance directive – Advance directives are legal documents that allow a person to spell out their decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time.…
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) – ADEA is a 1967 federal law that prohibits employers with 20 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of age in hiring, job retention, compensation, and benefits.
  • Age-friendly Health System (AFHS) – An initiative by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Hospital Association and the…
  • Ageism – Ageism refers to prejudice and discrimination against people who share a common characteristic – in this case, old age. The…
  • Aging and Disability Resource Centers – The Aging and Disability Resource Center Program (ADRC), a collaborative effort of Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare…
  • Aging network – The Aging Network is the partnership between federal, state, tribal and local agencies which supports the work of those who…
  • Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) – ADEAR, provides evidence-based information to people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their families, health care professionals and the general public.
  • Alzheimer’s biomarker – A biomarker is a characteristic that can be measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenetic processes,…
  • Aphasia – Aphasia is a communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language in the…
  • Area Agency on Aging (AAA) – A public or private nonprofit agency designated by a state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons…
  • Arthritis – Arthritis is a catchall term for a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders, consisting of more than 100 different diseases or…
  • Assisted living facilities – A senior living option for those with minimal needs for help with daily living and care. Its purpose is to…
  • Assistive technology – Any device that helps older people negotiate their lives at home, work or in the community can be classified as…
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  • Balance and vertigo – Balance disorders affect about 40% of older adults and can often lead to falls. Balance problems may manifest as feeling…
  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) – The BRFSS uses telephone surveys to track risk behaviors related to chronic diseases, injuries and death in the United States.
  • Biodemography of aging – Biodemography of aging looks at the biological, statistical and social factors of human populations, such as age, income, social integration…
  • Blind vs limited/low vision – The American Foundation for the Blind defines legally blind as a person with 20/200 visual acuity or less. Blind or…
  • Block grant – A type of funding in the form of a lump sum payment that confers responsibility for Federal programs to individual…
  • Blue zones – What began as a National Geographic expedition led by Dan Buettner to uncover the secrets of longevity evolved into the…
  • Bone mineral density (BMD) – The amount of bone tissue in a segment of bone. The general premise is that the heavier the bones, the…
  • Brain plasticity – Brain plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to modify its own structure and function following changes within the…
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  • CAPABLE – CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders) is a client-centered home-based intervention to allow older adults to…
  • Capacity and competency – Journalists should be aware not to use “capacity” and “competency” interchangeably, since one has to do with medical decision-making and the other is specific to legal issues.
  • CARE Act – The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable Act is legislation passed in more than 40 states that supports family caregivers when loved…
  • Caregiver – A person, either paid or voluntary, who helps an older person with the activities of daily living, health care, financial…
  • Cognitive assessment testing – One or more exams commonly performed on Individuals with memory concerns or other cognitive complaints, such as personality change, depression,…
  • Cognitive health – We often refer to the “cognitive health” of an older adult, but what does it encompass? According to Medscape, cognitive…
  • Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) – This is the term for a diverse group of medical practices or products that fall outside the standard realm of…
  • Comprehensive geriatric assessment – A geriatric assessment evaluates medical, social, and environmental factors that influence overall well-being, and addresses functional status, fall risk, medication…
  • Conscious aging/Conscious eldering – The Conscious Aging movement, also known as Conscious Eldering, works to help older adults shift their attitudes and thinking away…
  • Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) – In a CCRC (also known as a life plan community), residents move between different levels of care on one health…
  • Critical Access Hospital (CAH) – A rural hospital designation established by the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (MRHFP) enacted as part of the 1997 Balanced…
  • Cultural competency – Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among…
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  • Death doula – A death doula is a non-medical person trained to care for someone holistically (physically, emotionally and spiritually) at the end…
  • Dementia – Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to…
  • Dementia-friendly communities – Dementia Friendly Communities (DFCs) offer an approach to community engagement to improve the lives of people living with dementia and…
  • Diabetic retinopathy – Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. It occurs when diabetes damages the tiny…
  • Dimensions of aging – Everyone ages differently. Numerical, or chronological, age is only one of the dimensions of aging. Getting older is also associated…
  • Domiciliary care – The type of care provided to the elderly by a qualified home care worker at the senior’s own home. It…
  • Dual eligibles – These older adults and some people under 65 with disabilities are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid. They are sicker…
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  • Fall risk assessment – Falls are among the most common and most serious problems for older adults. They’re associated with increased mortality, morbidity, reduced…
  • Five wishes – This concept takes a holistic approach to discussing and documenting a person’s care and comfort choices. Documenting life choices has…
  • Frailty – Frailty is usually defined as an aging-related syndrome of physiological decline, characterized by increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. Frail…
  • Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or Pick’s disease, is the most common form of dementia diagnosed in people under age 60. A…
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  • Geriatric syndromes – Geriatric syndrome is a catch-all term used to describe clinical conditions in older adults that don’t fall into discrete disease…
  • Geropsychology – Geropsychology is a field within psychology devoted to the study of aging and providing clinical services for older adults. Geropsychology…
  • Geroscience – Geroscience is a research paradigm that connects the biology of aging and biology of age-related diseases. The biological processes of…
  • Green Houses/Green House movement – Green Houses are more “homelike” alternatives to nursing homes or large, multi-unit assisted-living facilities. Green Houses, which have been around…
  • GUIDE Model – The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, or GUIDE Model is a new voluntary, nationwide model for Medicare Part B providers…
  • GUIDE Model of dementia care – The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, or GUIDE model, is a federal initiative to improve how dementia care is delivered.
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  • Hallmarks of Aging – The “hallmarks of aging” are the biochemical, genetic and physiological processes thought to contribute to the aging. These include: Epigenetic…
  • Health literacy – The definition of health literacy was updated in August 2020 with the release of the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2030…
  • Health Related Quality of Life – Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an individual’s or a group’s perceived physical and mental health over time, according to…
  • Healthspan – A person’s health span is the length of time that the person is healthy—not just alive. Deeper dive It’s thought…
  • Hearing Loss – Hearing loss is a decline in a person’s ability to hear speech and other sounds. Hearing loss can happen when…
  • Home and community-based waivers – Waivers are designed to meet certain specific needs or provide different benefits than traditional Medicaid. They’re called “waivers” because some…
  • Home care – Home care refers to services provided to people who need help with certain daily activities but don’t require medical care.
  • Home health care – Home health care is a medical service in a person’s home to treat an illness or injury, manage a chronic condition or assist with recovery.
  • Human Growth Hormone – Growth hormone fuels childhood growth and helps maintain tissues and organs throughout life. It’s produced by the pituitary gland —…
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  • Iatrogenesis – Iatrogenesis is a common and serious hazard of hospitalization associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and…
  • Iatrogenic diseases – Iatrogenic disease is a condition induced by a drug prescribed by a physician, after a medical or surgical procedure (excluding…
  • Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) – Activities of daily living are classified into basic ADLs [link to ADLs] and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) IADLs…
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  • Life course perspective – The life-course perspective recognizes that aging takes place within a socio-historical context that provides different resources to individuals based on…
  • Life expectancy – The average number of years that a person can expect to live. This figure is often adjusted for an individual’s…
  • Life span – The amount of time that someone survives between birth and death. Deeper dive A key question for aging researchers is…
  • Loneliness vs. social isolation – While the terms are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same. Loneliness is the distressing feeling of being alone or…
  • Long-term services and supports (LTSS) – Long-term services and supports (LTSS) refers to both institutional care and home- and community-based services (HCBS). They are used by…
  • Longevity – The amount of time a person can expect to live under ideal circumstances – ideal nutrition, health care, physical activity,…
  • Longevity dividend – The longevity dividend encompasses the health and economic gains expected to accrue to individuals and societies resulting from successful efforts to slow the biological processes of aging.
  • Longevity Gene – These so-called “longevity genes.”, are part of a class of proteins known as sirtuins, which help stem cells cope with…
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  • Meaningful use – Meaningful Use is the use of certified electronic health record or EHR software in practices, hospitals, clinics, and by other…
  • Mild cognitive impairment – Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline…
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  • Observation care – Observation care is meant to apply to patients who aren’t sick enough to be admitted to inpatient wards but who…
  • Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) – The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) leads the administration’s health IT efforts and is charged…
  • Older Americans Act – This groundbreaking legislation, enacted in 1965, was the first national initiative to address a widespread lack of community-based services for…
  • Older Americans Independence Centers (OAIC) – The program was established in honor of the late Congressional Representative Claude D. Pepper, to create centers of excellence in…
  • OpenNotes – OpenNotes is a national effort designed to give patients access to the visit notes written by their doctors, nurses, or…
  • Osteopenia – Osteopenia is a loss of bone mineral density that weakens bones, but bone mass is not low enough to be…
  • Osteoporosis – Osteoporosis is low bone mineral density caused by altered bone microstructure, ultimately predisposing people to low-impact, fragility fractures. Osteoporotic fractures…
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  • Palliative care – Palliative care is a unique medical specialty that takes a holistic, integrated approach to provide patients with relief of symptoms…
  • Person-centered care – Person centered care (PCC) is a process that “moves decision-making directly to the individual despite frailty, cognitive impairment or the…
  • Physician-assisted death – Physician-assisted death (PAD) refers to the practice of a physician providing a potentially lethal medication to a terminally ill, suffering…
  • Polyvictimization – This term refers to people 60 and older who are harmed through multiple co-occurring or sequential types of elder abuse…
  • Positive aging – This concept has many definitions but one from The New Zealand Ministry of Social Development may best summarize the idea:…
  • Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) – PACE is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their health care needs in the community instead of…
  • Prostate cancer – Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States, behind only skin cancer. It is…
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  • Quality Adjusted Life Years – Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) measures the value and benefit of health outcomes. It’s used to guide and inform health…
  • Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) process – The Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) process is one of the two types of CMS-approved surveys (along with the traditional standard…
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  • RAISE Family Caregivers Act – The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act is a 2018 law that directs the Secretary of Health…
  • RE-AIM Framework – This is a model for planning, executing, and evaluating efforts to implement population-level changes in the health and well-being of…
  • Regenerative Medicine – Regenerative medicine (RM) encompasses an emerging field of specialty medicine with the goal of replacing, engineering, or regenerating human cells,…
  • Resilience – Resilience is generally defined as how people cope with and bounce back from stress, adverse events and major life changes…
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  • Sarcopenia – Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder that is associated with increased likelihood of adverse outcomes including falls, fractures, physical disability and mortality.
  • Seven pillars of aging – Interwoven processes that promote aging and progression of age-related diseases and disabilities which include: stress adaptation, epigenetics, inflammation, macromolecular damage,…
  • Shadow caregiving – Shadow caregiving refers to the informal, often unacknowledged assistance provided to older adults by individuals who do not reside with the care recipient and do not identify themselves as caregivers.
  • Shingles in older adults – Shingles (also called herpes zoster, or just zoster) is a painful skin rash that usually has blisters. Although shingles can…
  • Skin changes, age-related – Aging means increased risk for skin injury, according to the National Library of Medicine. The skin is thinner, more fragile,…
  • Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) – Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program datasets are single-year estimates of income and poverty for all U.S. states and counties.
  • Social aging – Social aging refers to changes in a person’s roles and relationships, both within their networks of relatives and friends and…
  • Social construction of aging – The creation of social norms and symbols that encapsulates the aging process. While aging itself is a biological process, what…
  • Social gerontology – Social gerontology is a subfield of gerontology that focuses on the social as opposed to the physical or biological aspects…
  • Social portfolio – A method of enhancing one’s pathway through mid to late life phases; Deeper Dive The social portfolio consists of an…
  • Stages of caregiving – Caregiving evolves through several stages–it may be referenced as four or five, depending on the source – and each brings…
  • Sundowning – The National Institute on Aging defines sundowning as the restlessness, agitation, irritability or confusion experienced by some people with Alzheimer’s…
  • Supercentenarians/centenarians – They are the oldest of the old, an elite club of people who’ve lived to the age of 110 or…
  • Supplemental poverty level – Unlike the official poverty measure, which is based solely on cash resources, the supplemental poverty measure uses cash resources and…
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  • The Two-Midnight rule – The Two-Midnight rule for hospital admissions for Medicare patients was enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS)…
  • Two-Midnight rule – The Two-Midnight rule is a federal guidance that helps determine how much a Medicare beneficiary owes upon admittance to a hospital.
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  • Village model of aging in place – Villages are grassroots organizations that provide community-dwelling older adults with a combination of nonprofessional services, such as transportation, housekeeping, and…
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  • Well-being – Well-being integrates mental health and physical health resulting in more holistic approaches to disease prevention and health promotion. The CDC…
  • Wraparound services – Wraparound services are optional services provided by Medicaid to supplement care and services mandated under Medicaid. These include  caregiver support,…

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