Chapter I.

What Do We Mean By "Long Term Care?"

What is "long term care?"

Long term care is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care for people who have an illness or disability that is chronic and ongoing. Long term care helps meet health or personal needs. Most long term care assists people with support services. These are activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom.

 

A lot of people think the term “long term care” means nursing home care. While long term care includes nursing home care, it also includes ongoing care and assistance provided at home, in the community, and in assisted living or other residential settings. A person may need long term care at any age.

 

What are “activities of daily living?”

 

Activities of daily living—usually referred to as “ADLs,” are those very basic self-care tasks and functions that you do as you go through the day. They include eating, bathing, dressing, walking, going to the bathroom and getting in and out of a chair or bed (called “transferring”).

 

What are “instrumental activities of daily living?”

 

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are a higher level of tasks that are involved in living independently. They include doing housework, shopping, preparing meals, managing money, using the telephone, and taking medications.