Acute care: Medical treatment rendered to individuals whose illnesses or health problems are of a short-term
or episodic nature. Acute care facilities are those hospitals that mainly serve persons with short-term health problems. From http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Aphasia: A disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language.
From http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/aphasia.htm
Art therapy: Uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and
emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. From:
http://www.arttherapy.org/aboutart.htm
Barthel: A scale used to measure performance in basic activities of daily living. It uses ten variables
describing activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barthel_scale
Assisted living: A broad range of residential care services that include some assistance with activities of daily
living, but does not include nursing services such as administration of medication. Assisted living facilities and in-home assisted living care stress independence and generally provide less intensive care than that delivered in nursing homes and other long-term care institutions. From:
http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Community-based care: The blend of health and social services provided to an individual or family in their
place of residence for the purpose of promoting, maintaining, restoring health or minimizing the effects of illness and disability. From:
http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Functional Independence Measure (FIM): An 18-item, seven level ordinal scale. It is the product of an
effort to resolve the long standing problem of lack of uniform measurement and data on disability and rehabilitation outcomes. The FIM was intended to be sensitive to change in an individual over the course of a comprehensive inpatient medical rehabilitation program. The FIM can be completed in approximately 20-30 minutes in conference, by observation, or by telephone interview. Rasch analysis defines two FIM
dimensions, labeled motor and cognitive. It was designed to assess areas of dysfunction in activities which commonly occur in individuals with any progressive, reversible or fixed neurologic, musculoskeletal and other disorders. From: http://www.birf.info/home/bi-tools/tests/fam.html
Dysphagia: Difficulty or pain while swallowing. Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may
have trouble swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. Eating then becomes a challenge. Often, dysphagia makes it difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish the body. From:
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/dysph.asp
Home health care: Health services rendered in the home to the aged, disabled, sick or convalescent
individuals who do not need institutional care. The services may be provided by a visiting nurse associate home health agency, county public health department, hospital or other organized community group and may be specialized or comprehensive. The most common types of home health care are the following: nursing services; speech, physical, occupational and rehabilitation therapy; homemaker services; and social services. From: http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Inpatient: A person who has been admitted at least overnight to a hospital or other health facility (which is
therefore responsible for his/her room and board) for the purpose of receiving diagnostic treatment or other health services. From: http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Long-term care: A set of health care, personal care and social services required by persons who have lost or
never acquired, some degree of functional capacity (e.g., the chronically ill, aged, disabled) in an institution or at home, on a long-term basis. From: http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Modified Rankin Scale: Commonly used scale for measuring the degree of disability or dependence in the
daily activities of people who have suffered a stroke. It was originally introduced in 1957 by Rankin, and modified by Lindley et al in 1994. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_Rankin_Scale
Music therapy: An established technique that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and
social needs of individuals of all ages. From: http://www.musictherapy.org
Occupational therapy: Treatment to help people live as independently as possible. Can include assistance
and training in performing daily activities such as personal care activities like dressing and eating; home skills, such as housekeeping, gardening, or cooking; personal management skills, such as balancing a checkbook or keeping a schedule; skills important in driving a car or other motor vehicle. Occupational therapy may be involved in the vision, thinking, and judgment skills needed for driving, as well as in determining whether special adaptations such as hand brakes are necessary. From: http://www.webmd.com/pain-
management/tc/occupational-therapy-overview
Outcome measure: A measure of the quality of medical care, the standard against which the end result of
the intervention is assessed. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/outcome+measure
Outpatient: A patient who is receiving ambulatory care at a hospital or other facility without being admitted
to the facility. Usually, it does not mean people receiving services from a physician‘s office or other program that also does not provide inpatient care. From: http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Physical therapy: Provides services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or
limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease. It restores, maintains, and promotes overall fitness and health. From: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm
Post-acute care (also called subacute care or transitional care): Type of short-term care provided by many
long-term care facilities and hospitals that may include rehabilitation services, specialized care for certain conditions (such as stroke and diabetes), and/or post-surgical care and other services associated with the transition between the hospital and home. Residents on these units often have been hospitalized recently and typically have more complicated medical needs. The goal of subacute care is to discharge residents to their homes or to a lower level of care. From: http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Recreation therapy: Therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education and recreation services to help people
with illnesses, disabilities and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, functional abilities, independence and quality of life. From:
http://www.recreationtherapy.com/define.htm
Skilled nursing facility (SNF): A nursing care facility participating in the Medicaid and Medicare programs
that meets specified requirements for services, staffing and safety. From:
http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Speech language pathology: Evaluates and diagnoses speech, language, cognitive-communication and
swallowing disorders and treat speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages, from infants to the elderly. From: http://www.asha.org/public/slp.htm
Sub-acute: See post-acute care.
Swing-bed hospital: A hospital participating in the Medicare swing-bed program. This program allows rural
hospitals with fewer than 100 beds to provide skilled post-acute care services in acute care beds. From:
http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/glossary.pdf
Transitional care: See post-acute care
Inpatient Rehabilitation is performed with Paul Ouillette, Speech & Language Pathologist (SLP) and SLP student, Megan McCormick from Bay Regional Medical Center .