Glossary

Adult day care centers: Facilities or programs that offer people with dementia and other chronic illnesses an opportunity to be social and to participate in activities in a safe environment, while also giving their caregivers the opportunity to work, complete tasks, and care for themselves.

Ageism: A view based on the assumption that all members of a group (older adults) are the same, leading to stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups based on age.

Alzheimer’s disease: An irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Black Box Warning: An FDA warning for prescription drugs that highlights potential life-threatening effects and is used to alert healthcare professionals and the public to risks.

Cognitive impairment: Impairment in mental processes that drive how an individual understands and acts in the world, affecting the acquisition of information and knowledge.

Delirium: an acute state of cognitive impairment that typically occurs suddenly due to a physiological cause, such as infection, hypoxia, electrolyte imbalances, drug effects, or other acute brain injury.

Dementia: A chronic condition of impaired cognition, caused by brain disease or injury, and marked by personality changes, memory deficits, and impaired reasoning.

Depression: A brain disorder with a variety of causes, including genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

Hospice care: Care selected by patients and families who are terminally ill or those who are expected to live less than 6 months that focuses on comfort and dignity.

Intellectual disability: A diagnostic term that describes intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits identified during the developmental period.

Respite care: Care provided at home by a volunteer or paid service or in a care setting, to provide the caregiver personal time.

Sundowning: A period of increased confusion, anxiety, agitation, pacing, and disorientation in patients with dementia that typically begins at dusk and continues throughout the night.