Caring glossary

Short, plain explanations of words you may come across when caring for a parent or partner. Laws and terminology differ between countries, so check local rules for legal terms.

Activities of daily living (ADLs): Basic self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, continence and moving from bed to chair. Care assessments often count how many of these tasks someone needs help with. Care hours calculator
Adult day care: Supervised activities, meals and sometimes therapy in a day centre, with the person returning home in the evening. Care cost comparison calculator
Advance directive (living will): Written wishes about medical treatment, especially treatment the person would refuse, to be used if they can no longer decide for themselves. Important documents checklist
Assisted living: Housing where people have their own flat or room, with care staff on site and shared facilities, for those who need some help but not round-the-clock nursing. Care cost comparison calculator
Care home: A residential setting that provides accommodation and personal care around the clock. Care cost comparison calculator
Care needs assessment: An assessment of the help a person needs, often carried out by the local authority, an insurer or a health professional. It usually determines which services or funding they can get. Care needs assessment checklist
Care plan: A written plan that describes a person's needs, the support they receive, who provides it and when. It should be reviewed whenever their needs change. Weekly care rota builder
Carer burnout: Physical, emotional and mental exhaustion from long-term caring, often accompanied by stress, poor sleep, irritability and withdrawing from others. Carer burnout self-check
Carer's assessment: An assessment of the carer's own needs and wellbeing, offered in some countries, which can lead to practical or financial support for the carer.
Delirium: A sudden state of confusion, often caused by infection, dehydration, medicines or surgery. It is a medical emergency, usually treatable, and different from dementia.
Dementia: An umbrella term for conditions that cause a progressive decline in memory, thinking and everyday abilities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause. Dementia stages checklist
Discharge planning: Preparing for a patient to leave hospital: medicines, follow-up appointments, equipment and the care they need at home. Hospital discharge checklist
Do-not-resuscitate order (DNR): A decision recorded in advance that CPR should not be attempted if the heart or breathing stops. It covers only CPR, not other treatment or care. Senior emergency information sheet
Emergency information sheet: A one-page summary of conditions, medicines, allergies and contacts that paramedics and hospital staff can read in seconds. Senior emergency information sheet
Falls risk assessment: A check of balance, strength, medicines, eyesight, footwear and hazards at home to lower the chance of a fall. Fall risk self-check
Guardianship: A person appointed by a court to make decisions for someone who can no longer decide and has no valid power of attorney. Names and rules differ by country. Important documents checklist
Home care (domiciliary care): Paid carers who visit the home to help with personal care, meals, medicines or housework. Home care cost calculator
Hospice care: Palliative care for people in the last months of life, at home, in a hospice or in hospital, with support for the family as well.
Incontinence: Loss of bladder or bowel control. It is common in older age, often treatable, and worth discussing with a doctor or continence nurse.
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs): Tasks needed to live independently: cooking, shopping, housework, managing money and medicines, using the phone and getting around. Care hours calculator
Long-distance caring: Helping a relative from far away, usually by arranging services, managing money and paperwork, and keeping in regular contact. Carer's daily log generator
Medication review: A check by a doctor or pharmacist of every medicine a person takes, to stop any that are no longer needed and spot interactions. Medication schedule maker
Mental capacity: The ability to understand, remember and weigh up information to make a particular decision and communicate it. It is judged decision by decision and can change over time.
Mobility aids: Equipment such as walking sticks, frames, wheelchairs, grab rails and hoists that make getting around safer. Home safety checklist for seniors
Nursing home: A care home with registered nurses on duty at all times, for people with medical or complex care needs. Care cost comparison calculator
Occupational therapist (OT): A professional who helps people manage daily activities, often by suggesting equipment, home adaptations and new ways of doing tasks.
Palliative care: Care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with a serious illness. It can start early, alongside treatment, not only at the end of life.
Personal alarm (telecare): Devices such as pendant alarms, fall detectors and home sensors that call for help automatically or at the press of a button. Home safety checklist for seniors
Polypharmacy: Taking many medicines at the same time, often five or more. It raises the risk of side effects and interactions. Medication schedule maker
Power of attorney: A legal document in which a person chooses someone to make decisions for them about money and property, and in many countries also about health and welfare. It has to be made while the person can still decide. Important documents checklist
Pressure ulcer (bedsore): Damage to the skin and the tissue underneath from staying in one position for too long. Regular changes of position, good nutrition and daily skin checks help prevent them.
Primary carer: The person who provides most of the unpaid care and usually coordinates everyone else involved. Family care cost-sharing calculator
Reablement: Short-term support after an illness, fall or hospital stay that helps someone relearn everyday skills and regain independence.
Respite care: Short-term care that gives the usual carer a break. It can take place at home, in a day centre or in a care home for a few days or weeks. Carer burnout self-check
Sundowning: More confusion, restlessness or agitation in the late afternoon and evening, common in people with dementia. Dementia stages checklist
Urinary tract infection (UTI): An infection of the bladder or kidneys. In older people, it can show up as sudden confusion, falls or tiredness rather than the usual pain.

General information only, not medical or legal advice.