| A | B |
|---|
| dangle | to sit on the side of the bed with the legs over the edge of the mattress |
| deafness | inability to hear |
| death | a natural part of life where all vital functions of the body cease |
| decubitus ulcer | an inflammation, sore, or lesion that develops over areas where the skin and tissue underneath are injured due to a lack of blood flow |
| defecation | passing feces from the body; passing of stool |
| deficiency | a written notice of inadequate care or sub-standard practice |
| dehydration | loss of body's normal water content, which can affect both physical and mental functions |
| delirium | memory and thinking impairment that comes |
| dementia | severe impairment of cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, and personality; comes on slowly and worsens over time; usually irreversible, depending on the cause of the dementia |
| dentures | artificial or "false" teeth |
| dependent | unable to care for one's self |
| diabetes | a chronic disease characterized by insufficient insulin production |
| diagnosis | determining what kind of disease or medical condition a person has; the nurse assistant can find out by looking in the chart; the doctor determines the problem based on tests, observations, etc. |
| diaphoresis | excessive sweating |
| diarrhea | frequent passage of liquid stool |
| diastolic pressure | the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest (the bottom number) |
| digestion | process by which food is broken down, mechanically and chemically, and changed to a form that can be absorbed by the body |
| dilate | to get larger |
| discharge | the resident goes to another facility, home, to the home of a relative/friend, or if the resident dies |
| disorientation | the state of mental confusion or loss of bearings in relation to the sense of person, place, or time |
| distention | the state of being inflated or enlarged |
| diversionary | to draw attention to something else or to amuse |
| dysphagia | difficulty swallowing |
| dyspnea | difficulty in breathing |
