Glossary
Not sure how to categorize a resource, article or question? Check out the terms we use throughout our site.
Behavioural Support Systems are integrated networks of people, services and supports, across the continuum of care that provides quality care for those with behaviours associated with complex and challenging mental health, dementia or other neurological conditions.
Community Care services help people to receive care at home, rather than in a hospital or long-term care home, and to live as independently as possible in the community. Home and community care is delivered by regulated health care professionals (e.g., nurses), non-regulated workers, volunteers, friends and family caregivers.
Education is the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.
Environmental Design is the consideration for the components of a person's external environment which impact how they relate to and interpret their surroundings. This can include physical design of an environment (i.e. layout of a building), or social design (i.e. noise levels).
Events include webinars, live chat, uStream, e-learning and online collaborative opportunities.
Family and Informal Caregiving refers to the care/support provided by a family member, friend or neighbour for a person who has a physical or mental disability, is chronically ill or is frail.
Health Care Consent and Advance Care Planning is about making choices, while you are capable, about how you wish to be cared for in the future if you become incapable of making decisions. It is also about giving someone you trust the information and authority to act on those wishes for you.
Healthy Living / Health Promotion is the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health, which is a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health.
Hospice Palliative Care is an approach to care for people with a progressive life limiting illness, no matter how old they are. The focus of care is on achieving comfort and ensuring respect for the person nearing death and maximizing quality of life for the patient, family and loved ones.
Knowledge Brokering links people to people or people to information in order to share learning, better understand each other’s goals or professional cultures, influence each other’s work, and forge new partnerships.
Knowledge Translation and Exchange is about moving knowledge to practice for the purpose of improving the quality of care for people with dementia in Canada. KTE strategies provide a systematic, efficient and practical way of translating research-based evidence, tools, and information into practice as well as the collection, organization, translation and dissemination of caregiver experiential knowledge and the lived experience of the person and family.
Long Term Care Homes provide living accommodation for people who require on-site delivery of 24 hour, 7 days a week supervised care, including professional health services, personal care and services such as meals, laundry and housekeeping. Across Canada, long term care facilities can be referred to as nursing homes, personal care facilities, residential continuing care facility, etc.
Policy can be described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome(s). The term may apply to government, private sector organizations and groups, and individuals. Policy or policy study may also refer to the process of making important organizational decisions, including the identification of different alternatives such as programs or spending priorities, and choosing among them on the basis of the impact they will have. Policies can be understood as political, management, financial, and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach explicit goals.
Primary Care is a basic level of health care that includes programs directed at the promotion of health, early diagnosis of disease or disability, and prevention of disease. Primary health care is provided in an ambulatory facility to limited numbers of people, often those living in a particular geographic area. It includes continuing health care, as provided by a family nurse practitioner.
Registered Health Professionals are professional designations regulated by provincial or territorial health regulatory colleges. A law called the Regulated Health Professions Act, to protect your right to safe, competent and ethical health care, established the colleges. Each college does this by holding its registered health care professionals accountable for their conduct and practice. Examples of registered health professionals include Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physicians and Surgeons, Physiotherapists, Dietitians, Psychologists & Psychological Associates, Respiratory Therapists etc. For a complete listing of professions, please consult your province or territorial Health Regulatory Colleges.
Research is any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge using the scientific method. It involves performing a methodical study in order to prove a hypothesis or answer a specific question.
Seniors Groups, generally speaking, are groups seeking to improve the quality of life for seniors through the offering of education programs, policy and research, information, referral, counselling, research materials, outreach and support, self-help and / or volunteer programs.
