Words you’ll hear when you’re arranging care — explained the plain way. If a term on your paperwork isn’t here, call us at (443) 295-3017 and we’ll walk through it with you.
DDA and Waiver Terms
Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)
The Maryland state agency that funds and oversees services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If your loved one receives DDA services, their supports are approved through DDA and delivered by a licensed provider like Full Circle.
Coordinator of Community Services (CCS)
Your family’s main guide through the DDA system. Your CCS helps build the plan, connects you to providers, and checks in that services are working. If you want to start services or change providers, your CCS is who you call first.
Person-Centered Plan (PCP)
The written plan built around the person — their goals, strengths, daily routines, and the supports approved to help. Everything a provider does should trace back to the PCP.
Community Pathways Waiver
Maryland’s main DDA waiver program. A “waiver” means Medicaid pays for supports in a person’s home and community instead of in an institution. Most adults receiving DDA services at home are in this waiver.
Family Supports Waiver
A DDA waiver for children and young adults (up to age 21) living at home with their families, covering supports that help the family care for their child at home.
Personal Supports
One-to-one help in the home and community from a Direct Support Professional — daily routines, personal care, skill-building, and getting out into the community, all based on the person’s PCP.
Community Development Services (CDS)
Small-group, community-based support focused on building independence, life skills, friendships, and real participation in community life — volunteering, activities, and learning to navigate the community.
Day Habilitation
Structured daytime programming that builds daily-living, social, and vocational skills in a group setting.
Supported Living
Support for a person living in their own home (alone or with housemates) who needs staff help across the day to live safely and independently.
Nursing Support Services
Registered Nurse oversight for people whose DDA services include health needs — nurse assessments, care planning, medication oversight, and training and delegation for the staff who support the person day to day.
Respite (DDA)
Short-term support that gives a person’s regular unpaid caregiver a break, provided under the person’s plan. Also available as a home care service below.
Transportation Services
Rides provided as part of DDA services — to community activities, appointments, and programs — so a person can get where their plan says they need to be.
Transitioning Youth
Young people with disabilities, roughly ages 18–21, moving from school-based supports into adult DDA services. Planning should start well before graduation; the supports change, and there are applications and timelines to manage.
Direct Support Professional (DSP)
The trained staff member who works directly with a person with a disability — at home and in the community. DSPs are the heart of DDA services.
Agency Model (Traditional Services)
When a licensed provider agency — not the family — hires, trains, schedules, pays, and backs up the staff. At Full Circle, a qualified family member can be hired as agency staff to support their own loved one; the agency handles payroll, training, and coverage when that staff member is sick or on vacation.
Home Care Terms
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
The basic tasks of everyday life: bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting, and moving around safely. Needing help with ADLs is the most common reason families call us.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
The tasks that keep a household running: cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, paying bills, and getting to appointments.
Personal Care
Hands-on help with ADLs — bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, and toileting — provided with dignity and respect for the person’s routines and privacy.
Companion Care
Non-medical support focused on company and engagement: conversation, activities, walks, meal preparation, and a watchful, friendly presence that helps a person stay connected and safe at home.
Respite Care (Home Care)
Temporary care that steps in so a family caregiver can rest, work, travel, or simply breathe — from a few hours to longer stretches.
Homemaker Services
Help with the home itself: light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, and errands, so a person’s environment stays clean, safe, and comfortable.
24/7 Care
Care available around the clock — a team of caregivers covering day and night for people who should not be left alone.
Care Plan (Plan of Care)
The written plan for a home care client: what help is needed, when, and how the person likes it done. At Full Circle, every client has an individualized, confidential care plan, reviewed as needs change.
Care Coordinator
The Full Circle office team member who matches staff to clients, keeps schedules covered, checks that visits are documented, and is the family’s day-to-day contact.
Care Professional
What Full Circle calls its trained caregivers and DSPs — the staff who go into homes and communities to deliver care.
Residential Service Agency (RSA)
Maryland’s license for agencies providing home care, issued by the Office of Health Care Quality. Full Circle is a licensed RSA — ask any agency you’re considering for their license.
Private Duty / Private Pay
Care paid for directly by the family rather than through Medicaid or a waiver. Many families start with private pay while waiver applications are in progress.
Aging in Place
Staying in your own home as you age, with the right supports brought in, instead of moving to a facility.
Fall Prevention
Practical steps that lower the risk of falls at home: clear pathways, good lighting, removing trip hazards, and having help with reaching, lifting, and bathing.
Questions about any of these terms — or one that isn’t listed? Call Full Circle Home Care at (443) 295-3017, or come to Walk-in Wednesdays, every Wednesday 9:30–11:30 AM at our Crofton office (2131 Espey Ct., Suite 2). No appointment needed.
Want the whole picture in one place? Get our Free DDA Waiver Guide — Maryland’s DDA waivers explained in plain English, who qualifies, how to apply, and how to choose a provider.