Quantcast
   
Friday - March 29, 2024

Glossary

Caregiver, or care giver, also called a ‘carer” in the UK and Australia, is a term normally given to unpaid relatives or friends of a disabled individual who help that individual with his or her activities of daily living.

The words may be prefixed with “family” “spousal”, “child” to distinguish between different care situations, and also to distinguish them definitively from the paid version of a caregiver, a Personal Care Assistant or Personal Care Attendant (PCA).

Around half of all carers are effectively excluded from other, paid employment through the heavy demands and responsibilities of caring for a vulnerable relative or friend. The term “carer” may also be used to refer to a paid, employed, contracted PCA.

Terms such as “voluntary caregiver” and “informal carer” are also used occasionally, but these terms have been criticized by carers as misnomers because they are perceived as belittling the huge impact that caring may have on an individual’s life, the lack of realistic alternatives, and the degree of perceived duty of care felt by many relatives.

More recently, Carers UK has defined carers as people who “provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner”. Adults who act as carers for both their children and their parents are frequently referred to as being members of “the Sandwich generation,” referring to the care provider as the “meat” in the middle of the two ends of care giving.

A widely-accepted official definition of a carer/caregiver is “[s]omeone whose life is in some way restricted by the need to be responsible for the care of someone who is mentally ill, mentally handicapped, physically disabled or whose health is impaired by sickness or old age.

With an increasingly aging population in all developed societies, the role of caregiver has been increasingly recognized as an important one, both functionally and economically. Many organizations which provide support for persons with disabilities have developed various forms of support for caregivers as well.

A chronic illness is a long-term illness that generally has no cure and is often difficult to treat. Examples of chronic illnesses include such autoimmune diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, as well as many others.

Also known as: CI Coach

A Chronic Illness or CI Coach is a professionally trained coach who specializes in working with individuals living with chronic conditions or illnesses. Chronic Illness Coaches help their clients honor their limits and build rich and significant lives, of which illness is only a part.

The term refers to style that has endured over a many years and enjoys a certain timelessness, simplicity, quality and easy recognition. Classic style is natural, unforced and unpretentious. Examples of classic style include shirt dresses, basic blue jeans, A line skirts, turtleneck sweaters. The “Brooks Brothers” look epitomizes classic style. Kate Middleton is known for her classic style, as was Jackie Onassis.

As used as an organization term, this refers to the area of the home or office where a category of items are kept until needed. There are closets for clothing, linens, office supplies et al.

The debris that results when decisions to pare down, put away and clean up are avoided.

Coaching is the art, science, and practice of partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires and releases them to maximize their personal and professional potential.