ACSW flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Elder mistreatment types

Physical, sexual, emotional, financial exploitation, neglect, and abandonment. Neglect is the most commonly reported type, and self-neglect is often excluded from abuse statutes.

Mini-Cog components

A three-item recall plus a clock-drawing test. Scoring combines recall with an abnormal clock to flag possible cognitive impairment in older adults.

Delirium versus dementia

Delirium has acute onset, fluctuating course, and inattention. Dementia is chronic and progressive with preserved level of consciousness until late stages.

Beers Criteria purpose

A list of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults, such as long-acting benzodiazepines and anticholinergics, used to reduce adverse drug events.

Polypharmacy threshold

Commonly defined as five or more concurrent medications. It raises risk of drug interactions, adverse effects, and medication nonadherence in older adults.

Elderspeak definition

Simplified speech with elevated pitch, exaggerated volume, and terms of endearment used with older adults. It is linked to lower self-esteem and increased resistance to care.

Hospice Medicare eligibility

Prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its normal course, plus election of the hospice benefit and waiver of curative treatment for the terminal diagnosis.

Four hospice care levels

Routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care, and respite care. Respite is limited to up to five consecutive days per benefit period.

Total pain concept

Cicely Saunders' model holding that suffering includes physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. Effective palliation addresses all four, not only nociception.

Palliative versus hospice

Palliative care suits any stage of serious illness and may accompany curative treatment. Hospice is a subset requiring a prognosis of six months or less.

Bereavement benefit duration

Medicare hospice requires bereavement support for the family for at least twelve months following the patient's death, delivered by the interdisciplinary team.

POLST versus living will

POLST or MOLST is a portable medical order for seriously ill patients and travels across care settings. A living will states preferences but is not a medical order.

Span of control

The number of subordinates reporting to one manager. Narrower spans suit complex, high-acuity work; wider spans require standardized and predictable tasks.

Zero-based budgeting

A budget method requiring every expense to be justified from zero each cycle rather than using the prior period as the baseline.

PDSA cycle

Plan-Do-Study-Act, a continuous quality improvement loop for testing small changes, reviewing results, and refining before wider implementation.

Root cause analysis

A retrospective method used after a sentinel event to identify underlying system failures. Failure mode and effects analysis is its prospective counterpart.

Licensure versus certification

Licensure is mandatory state-granted minimum competence. Certification is voluntary credentialing of advanced competence. Accreditation reviews organizations, not individuals.

SMART objectives

Objectives stated as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They follow goal setting in the strategic planning sequence.

Medicare Part B

Covers outpatient and physician services, durable medical equipment, and preventive care. Part A covers inpatient hospital and skilled nursing facility care.

HIPAA psychotherapy notes

Separate authorization is required to disclose psychotherapy notes, which are held to stricter protection than general treatment records under the Privacy Rule.

Teach-back method

Asking the patient to explain information in their own words. It verifies comprehension more reliably than asking whether they have questions.

Five social determinants

Economic stability, education access and quality, social and community context, health and healthcare access, and neighborhood and built environment.

Informed consent elements

Competence, voluntariness, disclosure of information, understanding by the patient, and consent. All five are required for valid consent.

Case management process

Intake and screening, assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and closure. Each stage documents client needs, goals, and outcomes.

Confidentiality mandatory exceptions

Imminent danger to self or others, suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse, and court orders. These override nondisclosure obligations in most jurisdictions.

Person-centered planning

A process placing the client's stated goals at the center. The professional informs and supports rather than substituting their own preferences.

Transitional care core elements

Medication reconciliation, follow-up within about seven days, and clear discharge instructions. These elements are associated with reduced hospital readmissions.

Erikson adolescence stage

Identity versus role confusion, occurring roughly from ages twelve to eighteen. Successful resolution yields a coherent sense of self and direction.

Mandatory reporting threshold

Professionals must report suspected child abuse based on reasonable suspicion, not proof. All U.S. states mandate reporting by designated professionals.

Enmeshment and disengagement

Minuchin's extremes of family boundaries. Enmeshment is over-involvement with blurred autonomy; disengagement is minimal involvement with little support or communication.

DSM-5 substance use severity

Eleven criteria grouped into impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria. Two to three is mild, four to five moderate, six or more severe.

Fatal withdrawal risks

Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be fatal, requiring medical monitoring. Opioid withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable but rarely life-threatening.