ACSW key terms

A written statement, prepared while a person is still able, that names a surrogate decision-maker or records treatment preferences to guide care after the person loses capacity.

A legal document appointing a specific person to make medical decisions on behalf of someone who can no longer decide for themselves.

A portable medical order form, signed by a clinician, that records the treatments a seriously ill person does or does not want near the end of life.

The person legally authorized to make health care choices for an incapacitated individual, ideally following the patient's previously expressed wishes and values.

A decision standard in which the surrogate chooses what the patient would most likely have wanted, based on known values and prior statements.

A decision standard used when a patient's wishes are unknown, in which the surrogate chooses the option that most benefits the patient and minimizes burden.

Comprehensive comfort-focused care for people with a terminal illness and a limited prognosis, delivered by an interdisciplinary team with support for family caregivers.

Specialized care that relieves symptoms and improves quality of life for people with serious illness at any stage, given alongside curative or life-prolonging treatment.

A care approach that prioritizes relief of pain, breathlessness, and other distressing symptoms over treatments intended to prolong life.

A group of professionals from different disciplines, such as medicine, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy, who jointly plan and coordinate a patient's care.

Services and counseling offered to family members and caregivers after a death to help them cope with grief and adjust to loss.

Persistent, intense grief that does not ease over time and significantly impairs a person's daily functioning, often warranting professional treatment.

Basic self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring, used to assess a person's functional independence and care needs.

More complex tasks needed to live independently, such as managing money, shopping, cooking, and using transportation, often lost earlier than basic self-care skills.

A structured evaluation of a person's ability to perform daily tasks and self-care, used to plan services and monitor change over time.

Harm or neglect inflicted on an older adult, including physical, emotional, sexual, or financial mistreatment and caregiver neglect, often by someone trusted.

Failure by a person to meet their own basic needs for health, safety, or hygiene, often linked to cognitive decline, isolation, or limited resources.

A public agency that investigates reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults and arranges protective services or supports.

A professional required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, older adult, or dependent adult to the appropriate authority.

A written document that identifies a client's needs and goals and specifies the services, interventions, and responsible parties to address them.

A collaborative process of assessing needs, planning and coordinating services, and advocating for a client to achieve desired outcomes efficiently.

The practical work of linking a client to needed providers and supports, scheduling, and monitoring that services are delivered without duplication or gaps.

The full range of health and support services, from acute care to home care and long-term settings, organized to meet changing needs over time.

A classification of the intensity and setting of services a person requires, used to determine eligibility, placement, and reimbursement.

A process that evaluates whether the services a patient receives are medically necessary, appropriate, and delivered in the most suitable setting.

A client's voluntary agreement to a service or treatment after receiving understandable information about its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives.

The ethical and legal duty to protect private information shared by clients and to disclose it only with permission or as the law requires.

A federal law that sets national standards for protecting the privacy and security of individuals' health information and governs when it may be shared.

The ability to understand and respond respectfully to clients whose culture, language, beliefs, and values differ from one's own.

An approach that treats the individual's preferences, values, and goals as central to planning and delivering services.

A coordinated network of community services and supports organized to meet the needs of children and families with complex challenges.

An individualized, team-based planning process that builds supports around a youth and family in their own community rather than in institutional settings.

Services designed to keep children safely with their families and prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement through in-home support and skill-building.

A government agency that receives and investigates reports of child abuse or neglect and acts to ensure a child's safety, sometimes through court involvement.

An approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and builds safety, trust, and choice into services to avoid re-traumatizing clients.

A collaborative counseling style that uses open questions and reflective listening to strengthen a person's own motivation and commitment to change.

A model describing readiness to change as a progression through precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and sometimes relapse.

Policies and practices that aim to reduce the negative consequences of substance use or other risky behavior without requiring abstinence as a precondition.

Strategies that help a person in recovery identify triggers, build coping skills, and respond constructively to setbacks rather than abandoning recovery.

A public health approach that uses short validated questionnaires to identify risky substance use, followed by brief counseling and referral when needed.

The systematic gathering of information about a client's needs, strengths, history, and circumstances to guide planning and service decisions.

The timely written record of services, observations, and decisions that supports continuity of care, accountability, and legal and billing requirements.

An ongoing, data-driven effort to measure performance and change processes so that services become safer, more effective, and more efficient.

The boundaries of what a professional is legally and ethically permitted to do based on training, licensure, and role.

A state of physical and emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced effectiveness resulting from prolonged work-related stress, common in caregiving fields.

Emotional and physical erosion that can occur when a helper is repeatedly exposed to others' suffering and trauma over time.