Basic personal activities, which include bathing, eating, dressing, mobility, transferring from bed to chair, and using the toilet. ADLs are used to measure how dependent a person may be on assistance in performing any or all of these activities.

Care that is generally provided for a short period of time to treat a certain illness or condition. This type of care can include short-term hospital stays, doctor's visits, and surgery.

Also called board and care home or group home, an adult care home is a residence that offers housing and personal care services, such as meals, supervision, and transportation for 3 to 16 residents.

Community-based care designed to meet the needs of impaired adults who, for their own safety and well-being, can no longer be left at home alone during the day.

Prepared ahead of time, a health care advance directive is a written document that says how a person wants medical decisions to be made if he or she loses the ability to make these decisions. A health care advance directive may include a Living Will, a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care or both.

Able to walk about.

All types of health services that are provided on an outpatient basis, instead of services provided in the home or to persons in a clinical setting.

Able to get about with the aid of a cane, crutch, brace, wheelchair or walker.

A nationwide network of state and local programs that help older people plan and care for their life-long needs.

Activities performed by at least one professional (preferably a social worker and/or a nurse) to determine a person's current ability to function in six areas: physical health, mental health, social support, activities of daily living, environmental conditions, and financial situation.

Residences that provide a "home with services" and that emphasize residents' privacy and choice. Assisted living residence means any group housing and services program for two or more unrelated adults that makes available, at a minimum, one meal a day and housekeeping services and provides personal care services to the residents. In Michigan, licensed assisted living facilities are also known as Homes for the Aged. Not all assisted living facilities are required to be licensed by the state.

A range of products designed to help seniors or people with disabilities lead more independent lives. Examples include motorized wheelchairs, walking aids, elevated toilet seats, bathtub seats, and handrails.

A written action plan that contains the strategies for delivering care to address an individual's needs and problems.

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.

An adult who provides unpaid care for the physical and emotional needs of a family member or friend.