Definitions: D

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Dander - small particles from animal skins or hair or bird feathers that can cause allergic reactions in some people.

Daycare - usually refers to a specialized program or facility that provides care for preschool children. Daycare for adults is referred to as adult day care.

Deceased - not living.

Defecation - is the evacuation of feces from the rectum.

Deficiency - a lack or shortage, especially of something essential to health.

Deform - to put (something) out of shape or spoil its appearance.

Degenerative - refers to getting steadily worse.

Dehydration - excessive loss of water from the body, as from illness or fluid deprivation.

Delusion - a false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness, as in schizophrenia.

Delirium - is a state of mental confusion that develops quickly and usually fluctuates in intensity.

Dementia - is a progressive neurological, cognitive, or medical disorder that affects memory, judgment, and cognitive powers. Describes a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates. Dementia is caused by many conditions. Some conditions that cause dementia can be reversed and others cannot. The two most common forms of dementia in older people are Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia (sometimes called vascular dementia). These types of dementia are irreversible, which means they cannot be cured. Reversible conditions with symptoms of dementia can be caused by a high fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with the thyroid gland or a minor head injury. Sometimes older people have emotional issues that can be mistaken for dementia. Feeling sad, lonely, worried or bored may be more common for older people facing retirement or coping with the death of a spouse, relative or friend. Adapting to these changes leaves some people feeling confused or forgetful. Emotional issues can be eased by supportive friends and family, or by professional help from a doctor or counselor.

Density - is a measure of the compactness of a substance.

Deprivation - is the absence, loss, or withholding of something needed.

Depression - is a state marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide.

Detention - restraint; confinement.

Determination of Eligibility - is the criteria to determine eligibility of patients for medical care programs and services.

Detoxify - (also detox) to remove the effects of poison from something, such as the blood.

Developmental Disability - (DD) is characterized by chronic physical and mental disabilities.

Diabetes - is a syndrome of disordered metabolism, usually due to a combination of hereditary and environmental causes, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels are controlled by the hormone insulin made in the beta cells of the pancreas. The two most common forms of diabetes are due to either a diminished production of insulin, or diminished response by the body to insulin. Both lead to hyperglycemia, which largely causes the acute signs of diabetes: excessive urine production, resulting thirst and increased fluid intake, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss, lethargy, and changes in energy metabolism.

Diabetes Care - involves health care professionals who help patients learn how to live with their illness and become more capable in the self-care of their condition. Nurses teach patients to self-inject their insulin as prescribed, monitor their blood glucose levels, plan meals, and recognize the symptoms of potential complications.

Diagnosis - the act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history, examination, and review of laboratory data.

Diaphragm - the thin layer of muscle that separates the chest cavity containing the lungs and heart from the abdominal cavity containing the intestines and digestive organs. It is involved in respiration by drawing air into the lungs.

Diarrhea - are watery, frequent and sometimes urgent bowel movements. Most cases of acute diarrhea never need diagnosis or treatment, as many are mild and produce few problems. But patients with fever over 102 degrees, signs of dehydration, bloody bowel movements, severe abdominal pain, known immune disease, or prior use of antibiotics need prompt medical evaluation.

Dilate - to make or become wider or larger.

Digestion - the process by which food is broken down into simple chemical compounds that can be absorbed and used as nutrients or eliminated by the body.

Dignity - from a care receiver's perspective, dignity is simply living your life as normally as possible and having others perceive that your life is as normal as possible. Pride in the way you look, feel and act.

Director of Nursing - (DON) oversees all nursing staff in a nursing home, and is responsible for formulating nursing policies and monitoring the quality of care delivered, as well as the facility's compliance with federal and state regulations pertaining to nursing care.

Disability - not able to do something. Usually refers to a physical or mental inability to perform one or more ADLs.

Discipline - to instruct a person or animal to follow a particular code of conduct.

Disease - abnormal functioning within an organism often expressed by specific bodily symptoms. This term is more concrete than illness, which includes mental aspects as well.

Disorder - a disturbance that affects the function of mind or body.

Disoriented - to lose awareness or perception of space, time, or personal identity and relationships.

Dissipate - to scatter or break up.

Do Not Resuscitate - (DNR) an order written in a patient's chart that states that extraordinary measures such as CPR should not be initiated if a patient is found in cardiac arrest. This does not mean that the individual does not receive care. Continuing care is provided as it would to any individual (medications for pain, antibiotics, etc.) except as stated.

Doctor - professional title; used in the medical field if the individual holds an M.D. or D.O. degree.

Donepezil - (brand name Aricept) is used to treat mild to moderate confusion (dementia) related to Alzheimer's disease. It does not cure Alzheimer's disease, but it may improve memory, awareness, and the ability to function.