Senior Housing Definitions

continued from page 135 care. Payor sources usually accepted are Medicare, Medicaid, VA, some insurance plans and private sources.

TRACH CARE - Refers to care administered to patients who have undergone a tracheotomy. A tracheotomy is a surgical procedure in which a cut or opening is made in the windpipe (trachea). The surgeon inserts a tube into the opening to bypass an obstruction, allow air to get to the lungs, or remove secretions.

VENTILATOR - Moves breatheable air into and out of the lungs, to provide the mechanism of breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or is breathing insufficiently.

WANDERGUARD - Offered at some facilities. A resident with memory loss or confusion wears a small discrete pendant. Each external door in the care home is fitted with a radio detector which detects when a pendant moves near an exit. The WanderGuard will sound an audible alarm, alerting the staff of a patient wandering. ~