Plain words for confusing terms
Care comes with a lot of jargon — in discharge papers, on product pages, from professionals in a hurry. Here are the long-term-care and equipment terms you're most likely to meet, defined in plain English, followed by the questions caregivers ask us most.
Glossary of care terms
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
- Reusable medical equipment built to withstand repeated use, generally expected to last about three years, that serves a medical purpose at home — wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, commodes, and patient lifts are common examples.
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- The basic everyday self-care tasks most people do without help: bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence, and transferring (moving between bed, chair, and standing). How much help someone needs with ADLs is a key measure of care needs.
- Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
- More complex tasks that support independent living, beyond basic self-care — things like managing medications, preparing meals, handling money, shopping, and getting around the community.
- Aging in place
- Continuing to live safely and independently in one's own home as needs change, supported by home modifications and equipment rather than a move to a facility.
- Caregiver
- Anyone who helps another person with their daily activities — often a family member or friend, sometimes a nurse, aide, or facility staff member. Family caregivers are who this site is written for.
- Walker
- A simple four-legged frame the user lifts slightly to step forward. It offers maximum stability on flat indoor surfaces and suits people who need firm support but can manage the lift-and-step motion.
- Rollator
- A wheeled walker with brakes and usually a built-in seat. It rolls rather than lifts, handles uneven and outdoor surfaces better than a standard walker, and suits people who lack the upper-body strength to lift a frame or who need to rest often.
- Transport chair
- A lightweight wheelchair pushed by a caregiver, with small wheels the user can't self-propel. It's for moving someone rather than for independent rolling, unlike a self-propelled wheelchair with large rear wheels.
- Transfer
- Moving a person from one surface to another — bed to chair, chair to toilet, and so on. Safe transfer technique and the right aids protect both the person and the caregiver from injury.
- Gait belt (transfer belt)
- A sturdy belt fastened around a person's waist that gives a caregiver a secure handhold during transfers and walking. It reduces strain on the caregiver's lower back and lowers the risk of a fall.
- Transfer bench
- A bath seat that bridges the tub or shower edge, so a person can sit, then slide across into the bathing area instead of stepping over the rim — a safer option than a standalone shower chair for those with limited mobility.
- Pressure injury
- Damage to skin and underlying tissue caused by sustained pressure, usually over a bony area like the heels, hips, or tailbone. Also called a pressure ulcer, pressure sore, bedsore, or decubitus ulcer. It's a major risk during long bed rest.
- Pressure-relief mattress
- A mattress or overlay designed to reduce pressure-injury risk — either supportive foam that distributes weight, or an alternating-pressure surface whose air cells inflate and deflate to keep pressure shifting.
- Ostomy / stoma
- An ostomy is a surgically created opening that lets waste leave the body through the abdominal wall; the visible opening itself is called the stoma. Waste collects in a pouch attached over the stoma, and skin care around it is central to comfort.
- Incontinence
- The involuntary loss of bladder or bowel control. It's common and manageable, with a range of absorbent products and a skin-care routine that protect comfort and dignity over the long term.
- Occupational Therapist (OT)
- A licensed professional who helps people regain independence in daily activities — bathing, dressing, cooking — by improving the skills involved or adapting how a task is done. OTs often perform home-safety assessments.
- Physical Therapist (PT)
- A licensed professional focused on movement, strength, balance, range of motion, and pain — the one who guides progress through the mobility and strength phases of recovery and decides when to step a mobility aid up or down.
- Patient lift
- A device that mechanically lifts and moves a person who can't safely transfer on their own. Sit-to-stand lifts assist those with some standing ability; full-body lifts use a sling for those who can't bear weight.
- Par level
- Borrowed from medical supply management, the minimum quantity of a supply you keep on hand before reordering. Setting par levels for repeat-need items like incontinence or ostomy supplies prevents running out.
- Home hospital
- An informal term for delivering advanced, often bed-centred care at home — typically built around an adjustable bed, a patient lift, pressure-relief equipment, and an organised bedside care station.
Questions caregivers ask us most
How do I know what phase of care we're in?
Think about the main goal right now. Keeping an independent older adult safe at home is the aging-in-place phase. Coming back from surgery or injury is recovery. Steady, repeat-need management of a long-term condition is chronic care. Bed-centred advanced care at home is home hospital. Many families move between phases over time, and that's normal.
What's the difference between a walker and a rollator?
A walker is a frame you lift and set down with each step — very stable, best indoors on flat floors, ideal when firm support matters most. A rollator has wheels, brakes, and usually a seat — it rolls instead of lifting, handles outdoors and uneven ground better, and suits people who tire easily or can't lift a frame.
What's the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy?
Physical therapy (PT) works on movement, strength, balance, and pain — getting the body moving again. Occupational therapy (OT) works on independence in everyday tasks like dressing, bathing, and cooking, often by adapting the task. Recoveries frequently involve both, working toward the same goal from different angles.
Do you recommend specific brands or products to buy?
No. Health Phase is an educational project in an authority-building phase. We explain equipment by type and by the phase of care it suits — never by brand, and we don't sell anything. That keeps our guidance independent. For an actual purchase, your care team, an OT, or a trusted local supplier can match a specific product to your situation.
Is anything on Health Phase medical advice?
No. Everything here is general education to help you understand your options and ask better questions. It isn't a substitute for advice from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional who knows your specific situation. Always follow your own care team's instructions.
How do I prevent pressure injuries during long bed rest?
The two core defences are a pressure-relief surface (a supportive-foam or alternating-pressure mattress or cushion) and a regular repositioning routine, paired with daily skin checks over bony areas. Catching reddened skin early and relieving the pressure on it is far easier than treating an established injury.
Ran into a term we didn't cover?
Send us the word or the question. We add to this glossary based on what families actually find confusing — your question helps the next caregiver too.