A Guide to Housing Resources For the Elderly In Philadelphia

DEFINITIONS OF TERMST T 1-7
ACCESSIBLE HOUSING
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS 1
Housing units that meet prescribed or mandatory state and local building code requirements, including such
features as wide doors, sufficient clear floor space for wheelchairs, lower countertops, level and loop type handles on
hardware, seats at bathing fixtures, grab bars in bathrooms, knee spaces under sinks and counters, audible and visual
signals, switches and controls in easily reached locations, entrances free of steps and stairs, and the ability to access
the entire housing unit.
ACCESSORY APARTMENT
A second, completely private living unit built within the extra space of a single-family home. The unit is generally
smaller than the main unit and contains a separate kitchen, bathroom, and living areas.
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL’S)
Personal care activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, getting in and out of bed and chairs,
walking, and going outside.
ADAPTIVE MODIFICATIONS
Modifications to a home to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities. Adaptive modifications help to
increase independence through easier entrance to and mobility within the home. Examples are: ramps, widened
doorways, and grab bars.
ADULT DAY CARE
A program for adults provided under health leadership during working hours in an ambulatory care setting for
adults who do not require 24-hour institutional care and yet, due to physical and/or mental impairment, are not capable
of full-time independent living.
ANSI A117.1
In 1980, the American National Standards Institute developed "specifications for making buildings and facilities
accessible to and usable by physically handicapped people." These standards have been adopted by local
governments, requiring public buildings to be made accessible.
AREA AGENCY ON AGING (AAA)
Agencies were established by the 1973 amendments to the Older Americans Act. They are public or private
organizations or units of local government responsible for developing and administering a comprehensive and
coordinated system of services to meet the needs of older people in a specific geographic area. AAA’s, along with the
State Units on Aging, the federal-level Administration on Aging, and the Federal Council on the Aging, comprise the
"aging network." The AAA for the City of Philadelphia is the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY
A living arrangement that integrates shelter and services for frail older persons who are not independent and need
24-hour supervision but not medical care.
1 Definitions are adapted from: Linda Hubbard, ed, Housing Options for Older Americans (Washington: American
Association of Retired Persons, 1984), Ann E. Gillespie and Katrinka Smith Sloan, Housing Options and Services for Older
Adults (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) glossary of terms at www.hud.gov .