Iowa Administrative Code
Agency 481 - INSPECTIONS AND APPEALS
INSPECTIONS DIVISION
Chapter 57 - RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES
Rule 481-57.1 - Definitions

The following definitions apply to this chapter and to 481-Chapter 62. The definitions set out in Iowa Code section 135C.1 shall be considered to be incorporated verbatim in these rules.

"Accommodation" means the provision of lodging, including sleeping, dining, and living areas.

"Activities of daily living" means the following self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, transferring, toileting and ambulation.

"Administrator" means a person approved by the department who administers, manages, supervises, and is in general administrative charge of a residential care facility, whether or not such person has an ownership interest in the facility, and whether or not the functions and duties are shared with one or more other persons.

"Ambulatory" means the condition of a person who immediately and without the aid of another person is physically and mentally capable of traveling a normal path to safety, including the ascent and descent of stairs.

"Basement" means that part of a building where the finish floor is more than 30 inches below the finish grade of the building.

"Board" means the regular provision of meals.

"Change of ownership" means the purchase, transfer, assignment, or lease of a licensed residential care facility.

"Communicable disease" means a disease caused by the presence within a person's body of a virus or microbial agent which may be transmitted either directly or indirectly to other persons.

"Department" means the department of inspections and appeals.

"Distinct part" means a clearly identifiable area or section containing contiguous rooms within a health care facility.

"Interdisciplinary team" means the group of persons who develop a single, integrated, individual program plan to meet a resident's needs for services. The interdisciplinary team consists of, at a minimum, the resident, the resident's legal guardian if applicable, the resident's advocate if desired by the resident, a referral agency representative, other appropriate staff members, other providers of services, and other persons relevant to the resident's needs.

"Legal representative" means the resident's guardian or conservator if one has been appointed or the resident's power of attorney.

"Mechanical restraint" means restriction by the use of a mechanical device of a resident's mobility or ability to use the hands, arms or legs.

"Medication" means any drug, including over-the-counter substances, ordered and administered under the direction of the primary care provider.

"Nonambulatory" means the condition of a person who immediately and without the aid of another person is not physically or mentally capable of traveling a normal path to safety, including the ascent and descent of stairs.

"Personal care" means assistance with the activities of daily living which the recipient can perform only with difficulty. Examples are help in getting in and out of bed, assistance with personal hygiene and bathing, help with dressing and eating, and supervision over medications which can be self-administered.

"Physical restraint" means direct physical contact on the part of a staff person to control a resident's physical activity for the resident's own protection or for the protection of others.

"Primary care provider" means any of the following who provide primary care and meet licensure standards:

1. A physician who is a family or general practitioner or an internist.

2. An advanced registered nurse practitioner.

3. A physician assistant.

"Program of care" means all services being provided for a resident in a health care facility.

"Prone restraint" means a restraint in which a resident is in a face-down position against the floor or another surface.

"Rate" means the daily fee that is charged for all residents equally and that includes the cost of all minimum services required in these rules and regulations.

"Records" includes electronic records.

"Responsible party" means the person who signs or cosigns the residency agreement required in rule 481-57.15 (135C) or the resident's legal representative. In the event that a resident has neither a legal representative nor a person who signed or cosigned the resident's residency agreement, the term "responsible party" shall include the resident's sponsoring agency, e.g., the department of human services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a religious group, fraternal organization, or foundation that assumes responsibility and advocates for its client patients and pays for their health care.

"Restraints" means the measures taken to control a resident's physical activity for the resident's own protection or for the protection of others.