Need a refresher on your home health vocabulary? We’ve got you covered. Review frequently used terms and learn about the intricacies of the industry in our home healthcare glossary.
Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) refer to the fundamental tasks that individuals perform on a daily basis to maintain their personal well-being and independence. These activities typically include tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, and using the toilet.
Aging in Place
The concept of an older adult continuing to live in their residence (or another familiar environment) as they age, instead of relocating to a specialized care facility. Aging in place often involves support services, such as home healthcare, to ensure the individual’s safety and quality of life.
Why are more people aging in place?
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Software that employers (such as home healthcare agencies) may use to manage and streamline their recruitment and hiring process. An ATS facilitates job posting, resume screening, interview scheduling, candidate communication, and more.
Learn more about Apploi’s ATS features.
Assistive Care
The range of support services designed to help individuals maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. Assistive care could include help with mobility aids, technology, and other tools that enhance an individual’s ability to participate in activities of daily living.
Audit
A systematic review of operations in order to determine accuracy, compliance, and adherence to established standards and regulations. For home healthcare, audits are typically done by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to ensure compliance with regulations.
Learn more about long-term care audits.
Background Checks
A process used to verify the identity, history, and qualifications of potential employees. These checks can include criminal history, employment history, educational history, and more.
Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged stress. It is characterized by feelings of fatigue, reduced motivation, cynicism, and decreased performance capabilities. Caregiver burnout is common among healthcare workers, due to the intensity of their profession.
Learn how to stop nurse burnout.
Caregiver
A caregiver is someone who provides care and support to an individual who is unable to fully care for themselves. Caregivers may be professionals, such as home health aides, or unpaid individuals, such as family members. In either case, caregivers offer various forms of assistance, including help with personal care and practical tasks. Professional caregivers may offer services ranging from medical care and therapy to companionship and support with personal tasks.
Care Plan
A care plan is a personalized and detailed description of the medical, therapeutic, and support services that address an individual’s specific healthcare needs. It serves as a roadmap for healthcare providers, caregivers, and the patients themselves.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
A federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for overseeing and administering the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Compliance
The act of adhering to a field’s laws, regulations, policies, and standards. In healthcare, compliance involves making sure that individuals, organizations, or institutions follow established guidelines to meet legal and ethical obligations, maintain quality of care, and prevent violations or misconduct. Issues of compliance in healthcare are most often managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Company Culture
The shared values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and practices that characterize an organization and its workforce. A positive company culture fosters employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity.
Discover low-cost ways to improve company culture.
Credentialing
The process of verifying and assessing a healthcare professional’s qualifications, education, training, experience in order to ensure their competency and eligibility. Credentialing, or credential checking, can be performed manually or through credential-checking software.
Learn about credentialing through Apploi.
Elder Care
Elder care refers to the comprehensive support and assistance provided to older adults to help them maintain their well-being, independence, and quality of life as they age.
Elder Abuse
The intentional or negligent mistreatment, harm, or exploitation of older adults, often occurring within caregiving relationships. Preventing and addressing elder abuse is crucial to ensure the safety and dignity of older adults.
Employee Referral Program
A program that encourages current employees to refer qualified candidates for job openings. Referral programs typically include rewards and incentives for employees who refer successful candidates.
How to set up an employee referral program in healthcare.
Flexible Benefits
The concept of allowing employees to choose from a variety of options to create a customized benefits package. Flexible benefit options may include child care, student loan reimbursements, wellness programs, and more.
How to support nurses through flexible benefits.
Hiring Equity
The idea of ensuring that hiring is fair, inclusive, and impartial. Supporting hiring equity involves eliminating biases, removing barriers that could disadvantage certain groups, and promoting equal opportunities for all candidates, regardless of their background, gender, race, age, or ethnicity.
Learn more about equitable hiring in healthcare.
Home Health Aide (HHA)
A trained healthcare professional who provides assistance and care to individuals in their own homes. HHAs assist with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, and medication administration in order to help clients maintain their independence and well-being.
Home Health Aide Shortage
The overwhelming shortage of home health aides that has arisen due to a number of issues, including the rising demand for home health care services. Between 2013 and 2019, the number of home health aides employed in the US fell by nearly 12%, according to U.S. News. Meanwhile, the number of Medicare-covered individuals seeking home health care increased from 2 million to over 3.2 million between 2008 and 2019.
Home Health Agency
A healthcare organization or service provider that offers a range of in-home medical, therapeutic, and personal care services to individuals who require assistance due to illness, injury, or other health conditions.
Home Care Registry
A database or platform that connects individuals seeking home care services with qualified caregivers. Home care registries do not directly hire home health aides. Instead, these registries often facilitate the matching of clients’ needs with caregivers’ skills and availability.
Human Capital Management Software (HCM)
Human Capital Management Software (HCM) refers to a suite of integrated digital tools and systems designed to streamline and automate aspects of workforce management, including payroll, hiring, benefits, and more.
In-House Training
Educational programs and learning activities conducted within an organization that provide employees or candidates with specific skills, knowledge, or competencies. For example, some organizations may offer free home health aide training in order to bring more qualified candidates into the workforce.
Why you should create an in-house training program.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
Similar to Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), these are more complex tasks that individuals perform to manage their lives and households effectively. These include preparing meals, managing finances, housekeeping, and more.
Intermittent Care
Healthcare services provided on a part-time, non-continuous basis, rather than around-the-clock or full-time care. Intermittent care can involve scheduled home health visits, therapy sessions, or medical monitoring.
Long-Term Care
A range of medical, personal, and supportive services designed to assist individuals who have chronic illnesses, disabilities, or conditions that limit their ability to perform daily activities. Long-term care can be provided in various settings, including at home, or in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers.
Long-Term Home Care
Ongoing care that individuals receive within their own homes. Encompasses a wide range of services, including medical care, personal assistance, and support with activities of daily living.
Managed Care
A healthcare delivery and financing system that aims to control costs and improve the quality of care. Managed care organizations often use networks of healthcare providers to offer comprehensive care while focusing on cost-effectiveness and the optimal resource allocation.
Mobile Recruiting
The practice of using mobile devices and technology to attract, engage, and recruit potential candidates. This approach prioritizes mobile-friendly websites, applications, and communication channels (such as texting) to reach and connect with job seekers.
Learn more about mobile recruiting.
Occupational Therapy
A healthcare discipline that focuses on helping individuals develop or regain the skills and abilities needed for daily activities. Occupational therapists assess and treat physical, cognitive and emotional challenges to enhance individuals’ independence and quality of life.
Onboarding
The process of integrating and orienting new employees into an organization. This involves providing them with the necessary information, training, tools, and support to help them become familiar with their roles and the workplace culture. An excellent onboarding program can reduce turnover and increase employee engagement.
Learn how to improve onboarding in long-term care.
Orientation
Orientation is a part of onboarding that involves the initial introduction to a new work environment. This is typically when new hires access essential information about policies, procedures, expectations, and resources.
Palliative Care
A specialized approach to healthcare that focuses on providing relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress associated with serious illnesses, regardless of the prognosis. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families by addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual needs and supporting informed decision-making.
Person-Centered Care
Also known as patient-centered care, this is an approach to healthcare that places the individual and their preferences, values, and needs at the center of the decision-making process. It emphasizes collaboration, communication, and respect between the healthcare provider and the patient.
Physical Therapy
A healthcare profession focused on diagnosing, treating, and managing conditions related to movement, physical function, and mobility. Physical therapists (PTs) use various techniques, exercises, and interventions to help individuals recover or manage injuries, surgeries, or disabilities.
Recruitment Marketing
The use of marketing techniques to attract, engage, and nurture potential candidates for job openings. Recruitment marketing can involve creating a strong employer brand, using various channels (for example, social media) to connect with candidates, and blending digital and analog methods of advertisement.
Learn about recruitment marketing in healthcare.
Respiratory Therapy
A healthcare field that focuses on assessing, diagnosing, and treating individuals with breathing disorders and cardiopulmonary conditions.
Retention
In the context of workforce management, retention refers to the ability of an organization to keep its employees over time. High retention rates may mean that employees are satisfied and have high rates of engagement.
Learn how to improve retention through hiring.
Staffing Agency
Also known as a staffing firm or employment agency, a staffing agency is a business that helps match job seekers with opportunities within other companies or organizations.
Shift Management
The process of planning and overseeing an organization’s shifts and schedules. This can include ensuring shifts are fulfilled, confirming the right people are scheduled, and planning long-term scheduling strategy.
Shift Management Software
The digital tools and systems designed to facilitate the planning, scheduling, and coordination of work shifts and employee schedules.
Learn more about OnCall, Apploi’s shift management platform.
Turnover
The rate at which employees leave a company and need to be replaced by new hires. Home health agencies often report high turnover rates, an average of 21% –exacerbating the home healthcare shortage.
Review strategies for reducing turnover.
Better Hiring With Apploi
The world of home healthcare hiring can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. The right software can be your guide through fast-paced days of hiring at scale and reducing turnover. Apploi’s easy to use software can take the headache out of hiring, improve your onboarding and management, and upgrade your shift management software. Schedule a demo today.
