Nursing Home Abuse Legal Glossary
Glossary of Nursing Home Abuse Terms
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Abuse (Emotional/Verbal): Emotional
and verbal abuse occurs when a person says or does
something that harm's the nursing home resident's
self-esteem, such as humiliating, ignoring, or
frightening the resident.
Abuse (Financial): Financial abuse occurs when a person
illegally or improperly uses a nursing home resident's
money, property, and/or possessions for personal gain.
Abuse (Mental): Mental abuse is sometimes referred to as
psychological or emotional abuse. Mental abuse is the
intentional infliction of anguish, degradation, fear, or
distress through verbal or nonverbal acts.
Abuse (Personal): Action by one person purposely does
something to another person that causes mental or
physical pain.
Abuse (Physical): The intentional use of physical force
that may result in bodily injury or pain.
Abuse (Sexual): Any form of nonconsensual sexual
contact, including unwanted or inappropriate touching,
rape, sodomy, sexual coercion, sexually explicit
photographing, and sexual harassment.
Access: A person's ability to get necessary medical care
and services.
Accessibility of Services: A person's ability to get
necessary medical care and services when needed.
Accredited or Accreditation: A facility is accredited
when a private, independent group has met certain
quality standards.
Act: Legislation passed by congress.
Action: A formal complaint brought to court.
Activities of Daily Living: Activities done in a normal
day, such as walking, eating, dressing, bathing,
grooming, and using the toilet.
Actual Charge: The dollar amount charged for medical
services or supplies.
Adjudication: The process of being decided by a judge.
Admitting Physician: The doctor that admits a person to
a hospital or other in-patient health facility.
Advance Directives: Advanced instructions telling how a
person wants his or health care administered in the
event that the person is unable to make decisions for
himself. Also called a "Living Will."
Advocate: A person or group that supports and/or
protects another person's rights.
Allegation: The claim made in a pleading by a party to
an action setting out what he or she expects to prove.
Alzheimer's Disease: A disorder involving deterioration
of mental functions resulting from changes in brain
tissues, including shrinkage of brain tissues. The cause
is unknown.
Ambulatory Care: Those health services that do not
require in-patient hospital care.
Ambulatory Surgical Center: The place in a hospital
where outpatient surgeries are performed.
Ancillary Services: Services given by a hospital or
other inpatient health program, such as x-rays, lab
testing, and drug administration.
Appeal: Request to a superior or higher court to review
and change the result in a case decided by an inferior
or lower court.
Appellate Court: A court having jurisdiction to hear an
appeal and review the decisions of a lower or inferior
court.
Approved Amount: The dollar amount Medicare finds
reasonable for a covered medical service.
Area Agency on Aging: Local programs that offer help to
older people, including transportation services, meals,
personal care, day health care, and skilled nursing
care. Pennsylvania residents can click here to find
their Local Agencies on Aging.
Assault: A willful attempt or threat to harm another
person, coupled with the present ability to inflict
injury on that person, which causes apprehension in that
person.
Assessment: The gathering of information in order to
evaluate a person's health and health-care needs.
Assignment: When a doctor agrees to accept Medicare's
fee as full payment under the original Medicare plan.
You must still pay your share of the fee for the
doctor's visit.
Assisted Living Facility: A residence for people needing
assistance with certain such as dressing or eating.
Assisted Living Facilities provide a lesser skilled
level of care than a person would get in a nursing home.
They also live more independently. Usually, residents
pay a monthly rent, plus additional fees for the
services they require and Medicare usually will not
cover these expenses.
Attorney-Client Privilege: Client's privilege to refuse
to disclose and to prevent any other person from
disclosing confidential communications between the
client and his or her attorney.
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