Group senior assisted housing Health Dictionary

Psychotherapy in which at least two, but more commonly up to ten, patients, as well as the therapist, take part. The therapist encourages the patients to analyse their own and the others’ emotional and psychological diffculties. Group therapy is also used to help patients sharing the same condition – for instance, alcoholism or compulsive gambling. They discuss their problems for perhaps an hour twice a week and explore ways of resolving them.... group therapy

Purpose-built or adapted accommodation for older people with a warden and an emergency alarm system. Different kinds of sheltered housing provide different levels of care. See “extra care sheltered housing”.... sheltered housing

(Further information about the subject and the terms used can be found at http:// www.hfea.gov.uk/glossary)

This technique is used when normal methods of attempted CONCEPTION or ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION with healthy SEMEN have failed. In the UK, assisted-conception procedures are governed by the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act 1990, which set up the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act 1990 UK legislation was prompted by the report on in vitro fertilisation produced by a government-appointed committee chaired by Baroness Warnock. This followed the birth, in 1978, of the ?rst ‘test-tube’ baby.

This Act allows regulation monitoring of all treatment centres to ensure that they carry out treatment and research responsibly. It covers any fertilisation that uses donated eggs or sperm (called gametes) – for example, donor insemination or embryos (see EMBRYO) grown outside the human body (known as licensed treatment). The Act also covers research on human embryos with especial emphasis on foolproof labelling and immaculate data collection.

Human Fertilisation & EmbryologyAuthority (HFEA) Set up by the UK government following the Warnock report, the Authority’s 221 members inspect and license centres carrying out fertilisation treatments using donated eggs and sperm. It publishes a code of practice advising centres on how to conduct their activities and maintains a register of information on donors, patients and all treatments. It also reviews routinely progress and research in fertility treatment and the attempted development of human CLONING. Cloning to produce viable embryos (reproductive cloning) is forbidden, but limited licensing of the technique is allowed in specialist centres to enable them to produce cells for medical treatment (therapeutic cloning).

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) In this technique, the female partner receives drugs to enhance OVULATION. Just before the eggs are released from the ovary (see OVARIES), several ripe eggs are collected under ULTRASOUND guidance or through a LAPAROSCOPE. The eggs are incubated with the prepared sperm. About 40 hours later, once the eggs are fertilised, two eggs (three in special circumstances) are transferred into the mother’s UTERUS via the cervix (neck of the womb). Pregnancy should then proceed normally. About one in ?ve IVF pregnancies results in the birth of a child. The success rate is lower in women over 40.

Indications In women with severely damaged FALLOPIAN TUBES, IVF o?ers the only chance of pregnancy. The method is also used in couples with unexplained infertility or with male-factor infertility (where sperms are abnormal or their count low). Women who have had an early or surgically induced MENOPAUSE can become pregnant using donor eggs. A quarter of these pregnancies are multiple – that is, produce twins or more. Twins and triplets are more likely to be premature. The main danger of ovarian stimulation for IVF is hyperstimulation which can cause ovarian cysts. (See OVARIES, DISEASES OF.)... assisted conception

See “residential care services”; “assisted living facility”.... assisted living

The act of intentionally killing oneself with the assistance of another who provides the knowledge, means or both.... assisted suicide

A formal association of three or more health practitioners or other health professionals providing health services. Income from the practice is pooled and redistributed to the members of the group according to some prearranged plan.... group practice

The group of persons for whom an intervention is planned. For example, the targeting of services to particular user groups.... targeting / target population / target group

Housing that has been specially built for, or changed to a certain standard to accommodate people with disabilities.... adapted living facility / housing

Establishment which provides accommodation and care for older or disabled persons who cannot live independently but do not need nursing care. Residents are also provided with domestic assistance (meals, laundry, personal care).... assisted living facility / assisted care living facility

A category in a classification or typology of clients. Clients can be classified in various dimensions, e.g. by dependency level, by diagnosis.... client group

A form of planned community in which people live together, each with his or her own dwelling or living space, but there are also some common areas and joint activities may be arranged.... co-housing

The use of information technology to assist health care professionals in diagnosis. This usually involves a dialogue between a computer system and a clinician. The systems are generally regarded as support systems for clinicians; the final responsibility for decision-making resides with the clinician.... computer-assisted diagnosis

The application of computer technology to therapy.... computer-assisted therapy

Individual apartments in which residents may receive some services, such as a daily meal with other tenants. Buildings usually have some communal areas, such as a dining room and lounge, as well as additional safety measures such as an emergency call system.... congregate housing

A group of participants that serves as the basis of comparison when assessing the effects of the intervention of interest that is given to the participants in the treatment group. Depending upon the circumstances of the trial, a control group may receive no treatment, a ‘usual’ or ‘standard’ treatment, or a placebo. To make the comparison valid, the composition of the control group should resemble that of the treatment group as closely as possible.... control group

A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group

1 Represents classes of hospital patients with similar clinical characteristics. DRGs form a clinical grouping system which describes hospital discharges according to medical condition. 2 A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group (drg)

Also known as ‘date rape’, this is an unwelcome phenomenon in which an intending rapist undermines a potential victim’s resistance by giving her a hypnotic drug such as benzodiazepine. The British National Formulary warns that ?unitrazepam (Rohypnol®) tablets may be particularly subject to abuse – perhaps given to the unsuspecting victim in an alcoholic drink so the sedative e?ect is greatly enhanced.... drug assisted rape

Housing where there is additional support (such as the provision of meals and extra communal facilities) to that usually found in sheltered housing. Sometimes called ‘very sheltered housing’.... extra care sheltered housing

A type of group discussion that is designed to elicit information about the wants, needs, viewpoints, beliefs and experiences of the intended audience. Focus groups can aid in better understanding the expressions and terminology commonly used by people in the audience, as well as their attitudes and beliefs about health care. They are useful for helping uncover the reasons behind people’s responses.... focus group

A house in which people have their own rooms but there are communal facilities. Staff may live in to offer support.... group home

Non-profit organization providing rented housing.... housing association

A range of housing schemes providing high levels of care.... housing with care

Housing not specifically designed for a particular user group.... mainstream housing / general needs housing

People who share a cultural heritage which is different from the majority ethnic culture. See also “ethnicity”; “culture”.... minority ethnic group

A face-to-face group judgement technique in which participants generate silently, in writing, responses to a given question/problem; responses are collected and posted, but not identified by author, for all to see; responses are openly clarified, often in a round robin format; further iterations may follow; and a final set of responses is established by voting/ranking.... nominal group technique

See SUICIDE.... physician-assisted suicide

An age-restricted apartment where the resident is expected to live with a high degree of independence. The age of eligibility varies and is often waived for the spouse of a resident.... senior apartment

A centre that provides a variety of onsite programmes (and sometimes outreach services) for older adults, including recreation, socialization, congregate meals, and some health services. Usually a good source of information about area programmes and services.... senior centre

Alternative term for an older person.... senior citizen

Any set of persons within society with particular demographic, economic or social characteristics.... social group

A group of people who share a common bond (e.g. caregivers, patients, families of patients) who come together on a regular basis to share problems and experiences or keep in contact in other ways (e.g. the Internet).... support group

Accommodation where there is a degree of daily living support for its residents to enable them to live independently.... supported housing

See “extra care sheltered housing”.... very sheltered housing

Housing designed for wheelchair users.... wheelchair housing

Blood group of people donor can receive blood from... donor’s blood group

(in Britain) any of the groups that work with NHS foundation trusts to represent the views of patients and other interested parties in setting the strategic direction of the trust. They are often formed around specific disease categories or patient groups (e.g. deaf patients, children in care).... community interest group

any one of the many types into which a person’s blood may be classified, based on the presence or absence of certain inherited antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. Blood of one group contains antibodies in the serum that react against the cells of other groups.

There are more than 30 blood group systems, one of the most important of which is the ABO system. This system is based on the presence or absence of antigens A and B: blood of groups A and B contains antigens A and B, respectively; group AB contains both antigens and group O neither. Blood of group A contains antibodies to antigen B; group B blood contains anti-A antibodies or *isoagglutinins; group AB has neither antibody and group O has both. A person whose blood contains either (or both) of these antibodies cannot receive a transfusion of blood containing the corresponding antigens. The table illustrates which blood groups can be used in transfusion for each of the four groups.

Blood group... blood group

(image-guided surgery, surgical navigation) a technique by which a virtual image or map of the patient is created from CT scans, MRI scans, X-rays, or ultrasound scans and loaded into a computer. Special instruments connected to the computer are then applied to certain reference points on the patient. The computer can then produce a picture of the location of the instrument within the patient.... computer-assisted surgery

(GBS) a Gram-positive bacterium that causes life-threatening infections in newborn infants following vaginal delivery (see Streptococcus; Lancefield classification). 20% of pregnant women are carriers and have no symptoms; however, *vertical transmission of the bacterium from mother to fetus at the time of delivery may lead to neonatal sepsis, characterized by pneumonia, meningitis, and death in some cases. Antibiotic prophylaxis with penicillin during labour is recommended for women with risk factors or who are known to be carriers.... group b streptococcus

(LAUP) laser surgery to the palate, which is used in the treatment of *obstructive sleep apnoea.... laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty

see National Statistics Socio-economic Classification.... socio-economic group