Reference
Hospice Glossary of Terms
Hospice comes with its own vocabulary. Here's what the most common terms actually mean.
A
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Regular daily tasks such as eating, bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, and using the toilet and telephone.
- Acute Illness
- A rapidly developing condition from which patients typically recover completely.
- Aggressive Treatment
- Medications, procedures, and experimental therapies intended to cure or slow disease progression.
- Advance Care Planning
- A process enabling individuals to establish preferences regarding future healthcare decisions.
- Advance Directive
- A written document expressing a person’s healthcare preferences, including living wills, for use when they cannot communicate with physicians.
- Anticipatory Grief
- A grief response occurring before an expected loss, typically related to impending death.
- Apnea
- Brief breathing pauses lasting under 30 seconds to approximately one minute.
B
- Bereavement Counseling
- Professional support involving discussion of thoughts and feelings during grief following loss.
C
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- A medical procedure involving repeated compression of a patient’s chest to restore circulation.
- Care Transition
- Changes in patient care settings or providers, such as hospital to home.
- Caregiver Burnout
- Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion affecting caregivers, potentially causing attitude shifts.
- Chronic Illness
- Ongoing conditions requiring continuous management and unresponsive to curative treatment.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- A persistent lung condition causing poor airflow, shortness of breath, and frequent coughing.
- CNA
- Certified Nursing Assistant credential.
- Conservator
- A court-appointed individual managing finances, property, and affairs for a disabled person.
- Conservatorship
- A legal protective process where courts may appoint a conservator.
- Coordination of Care
- Deliberate organization of patient care activities among multiple participants.
D
- Delirium
- Significant mental changes resulting in decreased environmental awareness and confused thinking.
- Dementia
- Mental decline greater than typical age-related changes.
- Diagnosis
- Identification of an illness or problem through examination of symptoms.
- Dialysis
- Blood filtration through a machine to remove waste when the kidneys fail.
- Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Order
- A physician-issued medical directive instructing providers not to perform CPR.
- Dysphagia
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Dyspnea
- Breathing difficulty, especially during exertion or while lying down.
E
- Election of Hospice Benefit
- A patient’s formal admission to hospice through documentation.
- Emphysema
- Destruction of lung air sacs that impairs oxygen transfer, causing shortness of breath.
- End-of-Life Care
- Healthcare for those with an advanced, progressive, terminal condition.
- End-Stage Disease
- The final phase of a disease’s progression.
F
- Failure to Thrive
- A diagnosis based on weight loss, decreased appetite, poor nutrition, and inactivity.
H
- Hemorrhagic
- Bleeding resulting from a ruptured blood vessel.
- Home Hospice Care
- Hospice services, including nursing and physical therapy, delivered in the patient’s residence.
- Hospice
- A facility or program designed to provide a caring environment for meeting the physical and emotional needs of terminally ill patients.
- Hospice Aide
- A healthcare professional providing personal care to patients in a hospice setting.
- Hospice Eligibility
- Medicare requirements including Part A enrollment, physician terminal-illness certification, and a six-month prognosis.
I
- Interdisciplinary Team
- The hospice care team — doctors, nurses, social workers, aides, chaplains, volunteers, and grief specialists.
- Inpatient Care
- Hospital care for patients requiring institutional admission.
- Ischemic
- Inadequate blood flow caused by an obstruction, such as a blood clot.
L
- Life-Limiting Condition
- A progressive or fatal illness or condition.
- Life-Sustaining Treatment
- Medical procedures that prolong dying or maintain permanent unconsciousness.
- Living Will
- A written statement detailing a person’s desires regarding their medical treatment when unable to give consent.
M
- Medicare Hospice Benefit
- The hospice care benefit available to Medicare-qualified individuals.
- Medicaid
- State health insurance programs for qualifying individuals.
- Medical Power of Attorney
- A directive designating someone to make healthcare decisions when the patient is incapacitated.
- Metastatic
- Cancer that has spread from its origin to other locations in the body.
O
- Occupational Therapy
- Therapeutic sessions addressing daily living activities following injury, surgery, or illness.
P
- Palliative Care
- Care focused on symptom and stress relief for serious illnesses, aimed at improving quality of life.
- Physical Therapy
- Sessions to restore mobility and independence following surgery, disease, or injury.
- Power of Attorney for Healthcare
- A legal form empowering another person to make healthcare decisions.
- Prognosis
- A physician’s opinion regarding the likely course of recovery from an illness or injury.
Q
- Quality of Life
- A person’s life perspective reflecting physical health, psychological state, independence, and belief systems.
R
- Recertification
- Written physician certification of continued hospice eligibility for each benefit period.
- Referral
- An initial meeting between patients, caregivers, families, and hospice staff regarding services.
- Remission
- A disease stage marked by reduced symptom intensity or progression.
- Respite Care
- Temporary institutional care for a dependent elderly or disabled person, providing caregiver relief.
- Respite Stay
- An extended care option, up to five days, providing patient care and caregiver rest.
- Resuscitation
- A protocol for cardiac arrest involving chest compressions or electrical stimulation.
S
- Symptom
- A physical or mental indicator suggesting a disease condition.
- Speech-Language Pathologist
- A professional who evaluates and treats communication, voice, and swallowing disorders.
- Substitute/Surrogate Decision Maker
- A person chosen to make medical decisions for an incapacitated individual.
T
- Terminally Ill
- A person with an incurable disease expected to result in death within a short timeframe.
V
- Ventilator
- An artificial respiration appliance, or respirator.
- Veterans Benefits
- U.S. government advantages available to military veterans.
W
- Withholding or Withdrawing Treatment
- A conscious decision against initiating or continuing life-sustaining measures.