Department of Health
and Human Services
Administration on Aging
Resources
Common Caregiving Terms |
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Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Basic personal care tasks to be performed daily such as dressing, bathing, eating or toileting.
Care Recipient or Consumer: The person receiving care who typically has a condition such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, frailty attributed to old age, or other chronic illness.
Caregiver: Anyone who provides assistance to another in need.
Family Caregiver: Used interchangeably with informal caregiver and can include family, friends or neighbors.
Informal Caregiver: Anyone who provides care without pay and who usually has personal ties to the care recipient. Examples include family, friends and neighbors. The caregiver can be a “primary” or “secondary” caregiver, can provide full- or part-time help, and may live with the care recipient or separately.
Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living (IADLs): Personal tasks such as meal preparation, grocery shopping, remembering to take medication, making telephone calls, and money management.
Long-Term Care and Support: Long-Term care and support
refers to a broad and highly variable range of rehabilitative, restorative
and health maintenance services that assist people with ADLs, IADLs,
and the emotional aspects of coping with illness or disability.