Texas Senior Care Glossary
144+ terms explained — from Medicare observation status and Medicaid spend-down to memory care, hospice, and advance directives. Clear definitions written for Texas families making real care decisions.
Senior care comes with a language all its own. Families navigating assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, hospital discharge, and Medicaid planning encounter dozens of terms they have never had reason to learn before — and the stakes of misunderstanding are high. This glossary defines every term that matters, organized by category, written in plain English by a Texas-based senior care placement specialist.
Medicare
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
- Medicare Part D
- Medicare Advantage (Part C)
- Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance)
- Medicare Skilled Nursing Benefit
- Medicare Hospice Benefit
- Medicare Home Health Benefit
- Observation Status
- Medicare Three-Day Rule
- Prior Authorization
- Benefit Period (Medicare)
- Dual Eligible
- BFCC-QIO (Livanta)
- Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN)
- Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
- Medicare Coverage Appeal
- Medicare Deductible
- Medicare Coinsurance
- Patient Rights Under Medicare
- CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- Homebound Status
- Special Enrollment Period (Medicare)
Medicaid
Legal & Financial
Clinical
- Assisted Living
- Memory Care
- Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
- Independent Living
- Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
- Board and Care Home
- Residential Care Home
- Adult Day Services
- Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH)
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF)
- Home Health Care
- Hospice
- Respite Care
- Transitional Care
- Palliative Care
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
- Cognitive Assessment
- Dementia
- Delirium
- Sundowning
- Fall Risk Assessment
- Pressure Ulcer
- Dysphagia
- Incontinence
- Wandering
- BPSD
- Functional Decline
- Polypharmacy
- Medication Management
- Aspiration Pneumonia
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
- CHF & Senior Care
- Stroke Rehabilitation
- Parkinson’s Disease & Senior Care
- COPD & Senior Care
- Diabetes & Senior Care
- Hip Fracture & Senior Care
- Cancer & Senior Care
- Chronic Kidney Disease & Senior Care
- TBI & Senior Care
- Depression in Older Adults
- Malnutrition in Seniors
- Pain Management in Seniors
- Advance Care Planning
Texas-Specific
Quality & Facility
Caregiver & Family
- Caregiver Burnout
- Family Meeting in Care Facilities
- Long-Distance Caregiving
- Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney
- Talking to a Parent About Care
- Sibling Disagreement Over Care
- Senior Care Placement Specialist
- Financial Planning for Senior Care
- Choosing a Senior Care Facility
- Moving Day in Senior Care
- Grief & Family Caregiving
- Medicaid Application Process Texas
Rehabilitation
Still Have Questions?
Terms are one thing — knowing what they mean for your specific family situation is another. A free 30-minute consultation cuts through the confusion.
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