30 Day Free Look - The right to return a long term care insurance policy to the issuing company within the first thirty days of receipt for a full refund of any premiums paid, no questions asked.

Abuse - The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with physical harm, pain, or mental anguish. (Source : HCFA)

Accelerated Benefit - Some life insurance companies offer access to the life insurance death benefit and cash value under certain specified conditions prior to death, such as terminal illness, permanent confinement in a nursing home, or for long-term care. (NAIC - "A Shopper's Guide to Long Term Care Insurance")

Activities of Daily Living - Feeding one's self , bathing, toileting, continence, transference (mobility).

Adjuvant therapy - the use of drugs or radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer along with surgery. (Source : AMA)

Administration on Aging - Federal agency for senior citizens, created by the Older Americans Act . Has nationwide organization of state and area agencies to provide support and resources to aid seniors in need.

Administrator - Person in charge of a health care facility.

Adrenal failure - a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormones that control important functions such as blood pressure. (Source : AMA)

Adrenal glands - two small glands located on top of the kidneys that secrete several important hormones into the blood. (Source : AMA)

Advance directives: “Advance directives” is a term used for the various means by which people communicate their wishes about end-of-life care to their health care providers. Advance directives include living wills, health care proxies and "Do Not Resuscitate" orders.

Adverse reaction - an unintended and unwanted side effect of some sort of treatment, usually drug therapy. (Source : AMA)

Adult Day Care - Sometimes referred to as Senior Day Care, care services ranging from basic to comprehensive for functionally and/or cognitively impaired adults. Available at a center usually open during normal business hours. Allows caregivers to have some time to themselves and the impaired adult to reside at home. There are two types of Adult Day Care - Adult Day Health, necessary care by health care professionals, and Adult Day Social, social interaction, activities, meals, and outings

Advance Directives - Written documents, completed and signed when a person is legally competent, that explain a person's medical wishes in advance allowing someone else to make treatment decisions on his or her behalf. (Alzheimer's Association)

Affective disorder - a mental disorder involving abnormal moods and emotions; affective disorders include manic-depressive disorder. (Source : AMA)

Air embolism - the blockage of an artery by air bubbles, which may have entered during surgery or after an injury. (Source : AMA)

Airway obstruction - blockage of the passage of air through the windpipe to the lungs. (Source : AMA)

Airways - the passageways that air moves through while traveling in and out of the lungs during breathing. (Source : AMA)

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy - heart damage and failure caused by intake of too much alcohol. (Source : AMA)

Alkalosis - dangerously decreased acidity of the blood, which can be caused by high altitudes, hyperventilation, and excessive vomiting. (Source : AMA)

Alzheimer's Disease - A progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. One in 10 persons over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimer's disease. U.S. society spends at least $100 billion a year on this disease. Neither Medicare nor private health insurance covers the type of long- term care most patients need. More than 7 out of 10 people with Alzheimer's live at home. Almost 75% of the home care is provided by family and friends. The remainder is "paid" care costing an average of $12,500 per year, most of which is covered by families. (Alzheimer's Association)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - the most common of a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, in which the nerves in the brain that control the movement of muscles degenerate and muscle function is gradually lost, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease. (Source : AMA)

Anaphylactic shock - a life-threatening allergic reaction resulting in difficulty breathing and low blood pressure. (Source : AMA)

Anemia - a condition in which the blood does not contain enough hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. (Source : AMA)

Anesthesia - a loss of sensation in a certain part of the body or throughout the body. (Source : AMA)

Aneurysm - an abnormal swelling of the wall of an artery, caused by a weakening in the vessel wall. (Source : AMA)

Angina pectoris - pain experienced in the chest, arms, or jaw because of a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. (Source : AMA)

Angioma - a tumor made of blood vessels or lymph vessels that is not cancerous. (Source : AMA)

Angioplasty - the use of surgery to make a damaged blood vessel function properly again; may involve widening or reconstructing the blood vessel. (Source : AMA)

Antibiotic resistance - the development by bacteria of the ability to live in the presence of a certain antibiotic, making treatment difficult. (Source : AMA)

Antibody - a protein made by  white blood cells that reacts with a specific foreign protein as part of the immune response. (Source : AMA)

Anticoagulants - drugs used to stop abnormal blood clotting, such as to prevent stroke. (Source : AMA)

Antihypertensives - drugs used to relieve the symptoms and prevent the damage that can occur from high blood pressure. (Source : AMA)

Antioxidants - substances that protect against cell damage by guarding the cell from oxygen free radicals. (Source : AMA)

Aortic stenosis - narrowing of the opening of the aortic valve in the heart, which increases resistance to blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta; commonly a birth defect or caused by scarring and calcium accumulation in the valve from rheumatic fever. (Source : AMA)

Apnea - a possibly life-threatening condition in which breathing stops, for either a short or long period of time. (Source : AMA)

Area Agency on Aging - Local representative of Administration on Aging provides resources and assistance to older Americans in legal matters, nutrition, counseling, day health care, in home services, and employment.

Arteriosclerosis - a disorder causing thickening and hardening of artery walls. (Source : AMA)

Arthritis - General term that includes several chronic conditions involving inflammation of the joints. While no cure exists today, treatments are available to control symptoms.

Arthroscopy - a procedure used to examine the inside of a joint using a viewing tube (an endoscope). (Source : AMA)

Artificial respiration/ventilation - the forcing of air (either by mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to nose means) into the lungs of a person who has stopped breathing. (Source : AMA)

Assisted Living Facility - Residence usually in an apartment setting which provides personal support and health care for those who need help with activities of daily living.

Assistive Devices - Special equipment for the disabled and elderly to aid in their independent living such as raised toilet seats, walkers, hearing aids.

Assessment - The rating or evaluation of a resident's health status and needs while they are in a nursing home. (Source : HCFA)

Atherosclerosis - narrowing of the lining of the arteries due to the accumulation of fat and other materials, leads to coronary heart disease, stroke, and other disorders. (Source : AMA)

Atrial fibrillation - an irregular heartbeat in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat inconsistently and rapidly. (Source : AMA)

Atrial flutter - an irregular heartbeat in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat rapidly but consistently. (Source : AMA)

Atrophy - the shrinkage or near disappearance of a tissue or organ. (Source : AMA)

Aura - a "warning" signal that comes before a migraine headache or an epileptic seizure, which might include emotions or sensations of movement or discomfort. (Source : AMA)

Auscultation - the act of listening to sounds within the body, such as the heartbeat, with a stethoscope. (Source : AMA)

Autonomic nervous system - the part of the nervous system that controls automatic body functions, such as heart rate, sweating, pupil dilation, and digestion; divided into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. (Source : AMA)

Ball-and-socket joint - a joint consisting of a ball-shaped bone that fits into a cup-shaped bone, making the joint free to rotate; examples include the hip and shoulder. (Source : AMA)

Balloon angioplasty - a technique that uses a ballon catheter to open arteries clogged with fatty deposits. (Source : AMA)

Basal metabolic rate - the lowest rate at which a person can possibly use energy and remain alive; at this rate, only absolutely necessary functions such as breathing are maintained. (Source : AMA)

Becker's muscular dystrophy - a hereditary disease in which the muscles weaken and waste away; similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy but starts later in life and adavnces more slowly. (Source : AMA)

Bell's palsy - another name for facial palsy, the usually one-sided, temporary numbing of the facial muscles, caused by an inflamed nerve. (Source : AMA)

Benign tumor - a tumor that is not cancerous, which means it does not spread through the body, but may grow and become dangerous. (Source : AMA)

Beneficiary - The recipient of the proceeds or benefits of an insurance policy.

Benefit Period - The period of time for which you will receive benefits under a long term care insurance policy. Periods can range from 1 year to an unlimited amount of time. The longer benefit period you choose the higher your premium will be.

Benefit triggers - Provisions that insurance companies use to determine when and if benefits will be paid. These can include the inability to perform a certain number of the activities of daily living, cognitive impairment, doctor certification of medical necessity, and prior hospitalization. (NAIC - "A Shopper's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance")

Bilateral - a term describing a condition that affects both sides of the body or two paired organs, such as bilateral deafness (deafness in both ears). (Source : AMA)

Bile - a yellow-green liquid produced in the liver whose function is to remove waste from the liver and break down fats as food is digested. (Source : AMA)

Bilirubin - the orange-yellow pigment in bile, causing jaundice if it builds up in the blood and skin; the levels of bilirubin in the blood are use to diagnose liver disease. (Source : AMA)

Biofeedback - a technique used to gain control over a function that is normally automatic (such as blood pressure or pulse rate); the function is monitored and relaxation techniques are used to change it to a desired level. (Source : AMA)

Blood pressure - the tension in the main arteries that is created by the beating of the heart and the resistance to flow and elasticity of the blood vessels. (Source : AMA)

Board and Care Home - Group living arrangements designed to meet the needs of people who cannot live independently, but do not require nursing home services. Most provide help with some of the activities of daily living. In some cases, private long-term care insurance and medical assistance programs will help pay for this type of living arrangement. Many of these homes do not get payment from Medicare or Medicaid and are not strictly monitored. (Source : HCFA)

Bone marrow transplant - a surgical procedure in which defective or cancerous bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow, either from the patient or a donor. (Source : AMA)

Bone spur - an abnormal growth of bone out of another bone, often located on the heel and usually painful. (Source : AMA)

Bronchoconstrictor - a substance that causes the lung airways to tighten up and become more narrow. (Source : AMA)

Bronchodilator - a drug that widens the airways in the lungs to improve breathing; works by relieving muscle contraction or buildup of mucus. (Source : AMA)

Bronchospasm - the temporary narrowing of the airways in the lungs, either as a result of muscle contraction or inflammation; may be caused by asthma, infection, lung disease, or an allergic reaction. (Source : AMA)

Burkitt's lymphona - a cancer of lymph tissue that most frequently occurs in the abdomen, the ovaries, and the bones of the face; it is associated with malaria. (Source : AMA)

Bypass - a surgical technique in which the flow of blood or another body fluid is redirected around a blockage. (Source : AMA)