Helpful Terms

For people who are exploring senior housing and care options for the first time, the terminology can be a little daunting. Here’s a quick guide to some of the terms you’ll see around our website.

Affordable Housing
Senior living communities that offer comfortable housing for older adults over 62 years of age with limited resources. Operated in partnership with the Department of Housing & Urban Development.

Assisted Living
Apartment living for seniors who need additional help with activities of daily living. Offered by LSS Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Illinois.

Care Center
A neighborhood that provides 24-hour skilled nursing care. Offered by LSS Continuing Care Retirement Communities.

Clinical Pastoral Education / CPE
Lutheran Senior Services offers programs in pastoral care education for lay and professional church workers. The CPE Center is nationally accredited by The Association for CPE. While increasing competency, the students minister to residents and staff.

Continuing Care Retirement Community / CCRC
A retirement community that offers multiple levels of care. At Lutheran Senior Services, these levels include independent living, residential care / assisted living, skilled care, and memory care.

Dementia
A form of mental impairment, such as that found in a person living with Alzheimer’s disease. Sometimes used to refer to a level of care in a Continuing Care Retirement Community. At Lutheran Senior Services, we refer to these areas of our communities as “Memory Care” neighborhoods.

Entrance Fee
When residents choose a new independent living apartment or patio home, they make this initial payment at the time they sign their Residency Agreement. This sum helps the community to keep the residents’ monthly service fees lower. When the residents move out, the community reimburses up to 95% of this amount, depending on residency programs available at their community.

Geriatric Care Management
A service offered by LSS In-Home Services’ Outreach Social Services program. A geriatric care manager helps families assess the type of assistance an older adult needs and then finds the best choices and solutions for coordinating, monitoring, and managing that care. Available in the St. Louis area.

Good Neighbor Program
One of LSS’ In-Home Services; funded in part by the United Way. A referral service that connects independent caregivers with older adults who need help with basic household tasks or non-medical personal care. Available in the St. Louis area.

Home Health
One of LSS’ In-Home Services. In-home skilled nursing and therapy services designed to help seniors recuperate from an injury, illness, or decline in ability. Offered under traditional Medicare guidelines, start of care requires a physician’s referral and that the individual be homebound. Available in the St. Louis area.

Hospice Care
One of LSS’ In-Home Services. Faith-inspired end-of-life care emphasizing pain control and symptom management. Supportive services for family & friends are part of the care provided. Medicare and Medicaid certified. Available in the St. Louis area.

Independent Living
Housing opportunities for seniors that do not require a medical care component. Includes independent living apartments, patio homes, and affordable housing.

Living Safe Technologies
One of LSS’ In-Home Services. A personal emergency response system that uses a variety of hands-free sensors to monitor conditions in a senior’s home.

Memory Care
Self-contained neighborhoods in Continuing Care Retirement Communities specially designed to serve residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. May be offered in either an assisted living or skilled nursing care setting.

Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest
At Lutheran Senior Services, our Christian Mission is at the heart of all that we are and do. Our ministry serves those in the third phase of life, creating opportunities for seniors to achieve their utmost potential – physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.

Outreach Social Services
One of LSS’ In-Home Services; funded in part by the United Way. Outreach workers help seniors live independently in their own homes by assessing their needs, identifying community resources to help them, and offering geriatric care management. Available in the St. Louis area.

Pastoral Care
Spiritual care and counseling, offered through any of LSS’ chaplains or Clinical Pastoral Education students.

Private Duty
One of LSS’ In-Home Services. In-home personal and supportive care services. Available in the St. Louis area.

RCF
“Residential Care Facility.” While this acronym is used widely in the senior care field, at LSS, we prefer to use the term “Residential Care Apartments” or “Residential Care Community”. See also, “Residential Care”.

Residential Care
Living options for seniors who need additional help with activities of daily living. Similar to assisted living with the exception that Residential Care communities do not require community-based assessment or the creation of individualized service and evacuation plans for each resident. Offered by LSS Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Missouri.

Senior LIFEsteps
A nationally recognized assessment used to determine an individual’s ability to perform everyday tasks. LSS communities use this test to determine which level of care would serve a resident best and offer it annually in order to make recommendations that promote continued health and well-being. LSS Outreach Social Services offers this to seniors living in their own homes in the St. Louis area.

Senior Living Community
A generic term for an LSS retirement community. May be used to describe a Continuing Care Retirement Community or an Affordable Housing community.

Senior Living Counselor
These experienced staff members help older adults choose new homes at our Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Any of our senior living counselors would be more than happy to show you how we can help you live life to the fullest.

Skilled Nursing Facility / SNF
A term used commonly in the senior care industry to describe a care center that provides 24-hour skilled nursing care. At LSS, we prefer the terms “Care Center”, “Health Care Center”, or “Skilled Care Center”.

Volunteer Money Management
One of LSS’ In-Home Services; funded in part by the United Way. Provides volunteers to assist older adults with day-to-day financial tasks, including balancing a checkbook, paying bills, and sorting through mail. Available in the St. Louis area.