Assisted Living Glossary — Arizona Care Terms Explained
The senior care world has its own language. ALTCS, ADLs, DSCF, SNF — it's a lot to absorb when you're already dealing with a difficult situation. This glossary covers the terms you'll encounter most often in Arizona, explained in plain English.
A
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- The basic self-care tasks a person performs every day — bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring (moving from bed to chair), and continence management. Care level assessments use ADLs to determine how much hands-on help a resident needs, which directly affects the cost of care.
- ADCF (Adult Day Care Facility)
- A licensed program that provides daytime supervision, meals, activities, and health monitoring for seniors or adults with disabilities — but not overnight care. ADCF is a good option for families who provide evening care at home but need daytime support. See also: Adult Day Health Care.
- AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System)
- Arizona's Medicaid agency, pronounced "access." AHCCCS administers health coverage programs for low-income Arizonans, including ALTCS (the long-term care program). If you hear someone mention "Arizona Medicaid," they're talking about AHCCCS.
- ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System)
- Arizona's Medicaid program for people who need long-term care services, including those in assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes. To qualify, applicants must meet both financial criteria (low income and assets) and medical criteria (requiring a nursing-facility level of care). ALTCS can cover the care costs of assisted living for eligible residents.
- Assisted Living Center (ALC)
- A licensed Arizona care facility with 11 or more beds. Centers typically offer more amenities — larger dining rooms, activity spaces, on-site therapy — compared to small residential homes. They're regulated under a different license category than Assisted Living Homes.
- Assisted Living Home (ALH)
- A licensed Arizona care residence with 10 or fewer beds. These are the most common type of assisted living in Arizona. They tend to feel more like a family home than an institution, with fewer residents and often a more personal caregiving environment. Also called "residential care homes" or "board and care homes."
B
- Board and Care
- A common informal term for small residential assisted living homes. Arizona uses "Assisted Living Home" as the formal license category, but "board and care" means the same thing. The name refers to room (board) and meals (care) provided together.
- Bridge Loan
- A short-term loan used to cover care costs while waiting for other funds to become available — such as proceeds from the sale of a home, or approval of a benefit like ALTCS or VA Aid & Attendance. Some companies specialize in senior care bridge loans.
C
- Care Plan
- A written document that outlines a resident's specific care needs, goals, and the services the facility will provide. Arizona requires licensed facilities to create and update care plans regularly in collaboration with the resident and their family. It's a key document to review before or shortly after move-in.
- CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community)
- A campus-style community that offers multiple levels of care on one property — typically independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing. CCRCs allow residents to transition between care levels without moving facilities, though they often require a large entrance fee (sometimes $100,000+) plus monthly fees.
D
- Dementia Care
- A general term for care designed to meet the needs of people with dementia — including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and other conditions affecting memory and cognition. Dementia care can occur in general assisted living settings or in dedicated memory care units with specialized programming and secured environments.
- Directed Care (DSCF)
- A higher level of assisted living care in Arizona, for residents who can no longer direct their own care decisions due to cognitive decline or other conditions. DSCF stands for "Directed Care Service for Adults with Cognitive Impairment." Facilities with a DSCF license can serve residents who need staff to make care decisions on their behalf.
H
- Hospice
- A type of care focused on comfort and quality of life for people with a terminal illness who are no longer seeking curative treatment. Hospice is usually provided by a specialized team (nurse, social worker, chaplain, aides) and can be delivered in a person's home, an assisted living facility, or a dedicated hospice facility. Medicare covers hospice for eligible beneficiaries.
I
- Incontinence Care
- Assistance with toileting and managing bladder or bowel incontinence. It's a common care need for assisted living residents, and most facilities include it in their care assessment. Incontinence care is typically a factor that increases a resident's care level — and therefore their monthly cost.
- Independent Living
- A residential option for active seniors who don't need personal care assistance. Independent living communities (also called retirement communities or senior apartments) offer housing, amenities, and social activities — but not the licensed care services of assisted living. They're not regulated the same way and are not ALHHub's focus.
L
- Level of Care
- An assessment that determines how much hands-on assistance a resident needs. Most Arizona facilities use a tiered system — Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, or similar — to price care services. Higher levels mean more staff time and higher cost. A care assessment is done before or at move-in and updated periodically.
- Licensed Capacity
- The maximum number of residents a facility is licensed to house at one time. Arizona requires all assisted living facilities to operate within their licensed capacity. A facility's licensed capacity is public record through AZDHS.
- Long-Term Care Insurance
- A private insurance product that covers the cost of long-term care services, including assisted living and memory care. Policies vary widely in their daily benefit amounts, waiting periods, inflation protection, and covered services. Long-term care insurance is typically purchased before the need arises, as it becomes expensive or unavailable once a health condition is diagnosed.
M
- Medication Management
- A service in which facility staff handle a resident's medications — ordering refills, organizing pills, administering doses at scheduled times, and documenting administration. It's a standard service in most assisted living settings and is often included in basic care rates.
- Memory Care
- A specialized form of care for people with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Memory care units are typically secured (locked) to prevent wandering, and staff receive additional training in dementia-specific care approaches. In Arizona, memory care can be provided in an assisted living home or center under a standard or directed care license.
- Move-In Coordinator
- The staff member at a facility who manages the process of welcoming a new resident — handling paperwork, coordinating move-in logistics, and orienting the resident and family to the home's routines. It's your main point of contact when placing a family member.
P
- Palliative Care
- Specialized medical care focused on relieving symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness — at any stage, not just at end of life. Unlike hospice, palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatment. It's often provided by a team that works in addition to the primary care team.
- Placement Agency
- A business that helps families find appropriate assisted living, memory care, or other senior care placements. In Arizona, reputable placement agencies are typically paid referral fees by the care facilities — not by families. ALHHub is a placement agency.
- Private Pay
- Paying for care costs out of personal funds — savings, retirement accounts, Social Security, pension, proceeds from home sale, etc. Most assisted living residents start as private pay. When funds run out, some families explore ALTCS (Medicaid) eligibility.
R
- Referral Fee
- The compensation a placement agency receives from a care facility when a family the agency introduced moves in. Referral fees are a standard part of the senior care industry. At ALHHub, we receive referral fees from partner facilities — which is how our service stays free for families.
- Respite Care
- Short-term care — from a few days to a few weeks — provided to give family caregivers a break. Many Arizona assisted living homes offer respite stays for a daily or weekly rate. Respite is useful while a primary caregiver travels, recovers from illness, or simply needs rest.
S
- SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility)
- A licensed facility that provides round-the-clock nursing care and rehabilitation services — a step up from assisted living in terms of medical intensity. SNFs are often used for short-term recovery after a hospitalization (Medicare may cover this). They're different from assisted living homes and are not ALHHub's focus.
- Spend-Down
- The process of reducing a person's countable assets to meet Medicaid (ALTCS) eligibility limits. This is done by spending assets on legitimate care-related expenses before applying. Medicaid planning attorneys help families navigate spend-down legally and ethically.
- Sundowning
- A pattern of increased confusion, agitation, or behavioral changes in people with dementia that typically occurs in the late afternoon or evening. It's one of the most challenging aspects of dementia care for families. Memory care facilities with trained staff and structured evening routines can help manage sundowning.
V
- VA Aid & Attendance
- A pension benefit available to veterans (and surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities. Aid & Attendance can add $1,200–$2,200/month to cover the cost of assisted living or home care. Applications are submitted through the VA. The process takes several months, so apply early. It can be combined with ALTCS for additional coverage.
W
- Wandering Protocol
- The policies and physical safeguards a memory care facility uses to prevent residents with dementia from leaving unsafely. This includes secured doors, monitoring systems, and staff procedures. Ask any memory care facility about their wandering protocol during a tour.
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