Medical terms for caregivers
Test your knowledge of these medical terms caregivers should know. (Answers below.)
- Abduction is (a) a movement that draws a limb away (b) any motion of limbs (c) the movement of a body part toward the central axis.
- Acute describes a sickness that is (a) incurable (b) of short duration (c) life-threatening.
- Aphasia is (a) the inability to swallow (b) the loss of ability to communicate (c) copious drooling.
- Adduction is (a) the opposite of subtraction (b) moving of a body part toward the central axis of the body (c) lifting both arms above the head.
- Aspiration refers to (a) breathing in a foreign object (b) shortness of breath (c) being severely stressed.
- A chronic illness (a) is hereditary (b) has no cure (c) is long-term.
- Someone with dysphagia experiences difficulty (a) breathing (b) swallowing (c) talking.
- Dyspnea refers to difficult (a) breathing (b) hearing (c) standing without assistance.
- A mechanical soft diet (a) is difficult to swallow (b) does not include bread (c) contains foods that do not require much chewing.
- A transient ischemia attack occurs when (a) the heart stops beating (b) a person stops breathing during sleep (c) there is a disruption of cerebral blood flow.
Answers: 1-a; 2-b; 3-b; 4-b; 5-a; 6-c; 7-b; 8-a; 9-c; 10-c.