Below are common senior housing terms and meanings in alphabetical order.

Adult Day Care - Licensed, community-based programs for seniors desiring health, social and supportive services, but not requiring round-the-clock professional supervision. Seniors in adult day care programs may be physically, mentally, or functionally impaired, or they may simply need companionship or supervision during part of the day. Adult day care centers may offer transportation to and from the center, social services, case management and family counseling for the caregivers.

Aging in Place - Senior housing expressing the preference of most seniors to continue aging while residing in one place.

Alzheimer's Care Center - A treatment center that specializes in providing care for those with Alzheimer's Disease. Resident care focuses on activities and supervision in a safe and controlled environment.

Assisted Living - A type of senior living community offering services that are more specialized and advanced than those offered in an independent living community, but are less comprehensive than the full-time care offered by nursing facilities.

Board and Care Home - Similar to assisted living, but smaller in scale, board and care homes are private and residential, often a modified single-family home. They hold two to 20 residents needing supervision and personal care, but few onsite medical services.

Condominiums - Apartments that are purchased instead of rented.

Cooperatives - Residents form a corporation and jointly own land and buildings.

Continuing Care - A senior housing community where a full range of living options are offered, accommodating residents as their needs evolve without requiring the inconvenience of moving.

Continuum of Care - Used to describe the degrees of service offered by a particular senior community. A continuum of care can range from independent living to full-time nursing care and include any and all stages in between.

Convalescent Home - See Nursing Facility. 

Home Health Care - Medical care and living assistance provided in the home by a licensed professional.

Hospice Care - Designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when an illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments, hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling pain and discomfort.

Independent Living - A type of senior living community designed for those able to live easily on their own, encompassing a wide variety of housing styles and often incorporating additional amenities such as meals and leisure activities.

Nursing Facility - A type of senior community offering the most advanced level of resident care, including 24-hour monitoring and full-time supervision.

Senior Apartment - An independent living facility in which usually no additional services are provided.

Subsidized Housing - Affordable rents for income-qualified seniors.