Activities of daily living (ADL): Routine activities used to take care of one’s own body. ADL activities identified by AOTA (2020) include bathing, showering, toileting, dressing, eating, swallowing, feeding, functional mobility, personal hygiene and grooming, and sexual activity.
Acute care: Level of health care in which a patient is treated for an often brief but severe episode of illness, for conditions that are the result of disease or trauma, and during recovery from surgery. Acute care is generally provided in a hospital by a variety of clinical personnel using technical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies.
Advance care planning: A process of planning to meet future medical needs. This process may include advance care directives, end-of-life care wishes, and designating a health care power of attorney. A person indicates their values, goals, and preferences in regard to health care decisions in advance care directives.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD): Retinal atrophy and scarring, along with hemorrhages in the macula, resulting in a gradual loss of the central field of vision.
Ageism: A process of systematic stereotyping or discrimination against people because of their age (Levy et al., 2020).
Ageusia: Absence of taste.
Aging in place: Aging in place is a term used to describe a person living in the residence of their choice for as long as they are able as they age. It also means that the older person has the services and things they need in their daily life so that aging in place is feasible. The goal is to maintain or improve their quality of life.
Alternating attention: The ability to direct or switch attentional resources between two or more tasks or activities.
Ambivalent: The simultaneous existence of contradictory feelings and attitudes toward the same person, object, event, or situation (American Psychological Association, n.d.a.).
Anosmia: Lack of smell.
Artificial intelligence (AI): “Artificial intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to rethink how we integrate information, analyze data, and use the resulting insights to improve decision making—and already it is transforming every walk of life.” (West & Allen, 2018).
Assistive technology: An umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services. AT supports independence and function to live dignified lives and have a sense of personal wellbeing (WHO, 2022).
Atrial fibrillation: an irregular cardiac rhythm associated with very rapid heartbeat that can lead to blood clots forming in the heart.
Attention: The ability to focus on stimuli for the purpose of processing information.
Bradykinesia: Abnormal slowness in the execution of voluntary movements (APA, 2022).
Bridge employment: Changing jobs and moving to part-time employment is also common as a transition to retirement.
Caregiver-centered care: A collaborative working relationship between families and health care providers, with providers supporting family caregivers in their caregiving responsibilities.
Co-occupation: Occupations that can only exist when two or more individuals are part of the process.
Cognitive reserve: The amount of cognitive resources left over and available after an individual engages in a task.
Community mobility:...