psychosocial needs
needs that involve social interaction, emotions, intellect, and spirituality.
holistic care
a type of care that involves caring for the whole person�the mind as well as the body.
masturbation
to touch or rub sexual organs in order to give oneself or another person sexual pleasure.
sexual orientation
a person's physical, emotional, and/or romantic attraction to another person.
gender identity
a deeply felt sense of one's gender.
bisexual, bi
a person whose physical, emotional, and/or romantic attraction may be for people of the same gender or different gender.
cisgender
a person whose gender identity matches his or her birth sex (sex assigned at birth due to anatomy).
coming out
a continual process of revealing one's sexual orientation or gender identity to others.
cross-dresser
typically a heterosexual man who sometimes wears clothing and other items associated with women.
gay
a person whose physical, emotional, and/or romantic attraction is for people of the same sex.
heterosexual
a person whose physical, emotional, and/or romantic attraction is for people of the opposite sex; also known as straight.
lesbian
a woman whose physical, emotional, and/or romantic attraction is for other women.
LGBT
acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
LGBTQ
acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
queer
a term used by some people to describe sexual orientation that is not exclusively heterosexual and who may feel that terms such as lesbian and gay are too limiting.
transgender
a person whose gender identity conflicts with his or her birth sex (sex assigned at birth due to anatomy).
transition
the process of changing genders, which can include legal procedures, medical measures, telling others, and using new pronouns.
spiritual
of, or relating to, the spirit or soul.
reincarnation
a belief that some part of a living being survives death to be reborn in a new body.
karma
the belief that all past and present deeds affect one's future and future lives.
yarmulke
a small skullcap worn by Jewish men as a sign of their faith.
agnostics
people who believe that they do not know or cannot know if God exists.
atheists
people who believe that there is no God.
dietary restrictions
rules about what and when individuals can eat.
fasting
not eating food or eating very little food.
vegetarians
people who do not eat meat, fish, or poultry and may or may not eat eggs and dairy products.
vegans
vegetarians who do not eat any animal products, including milk, cheese, other dairy items, or eggs; vegans may also choose to not use or wear any animal products.
premature
the term for babies who are born before 37 weeks' gestation (more than three weeks before the due date).
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
a condition in which babies stop breathing and die for no known reason while asleep.
cognitive
related to thinking and learning.
chickenpox
a highly contagious viral illness that affects nearly all children.
leukemia
a form of cancer in which the body's white blood cells are unable to fight disease.
anorexia
an eating disorder in which a per- son does not eat or exercises excessively to lose weight.
bulimia
an eating disorder in which a person eats huge amounts of foods or very fattening foods, and then eliminates the food by vomiting, using laxatives, or exercising excessively.
trauma
severe injury.
menopause
the end of menstruation (occurs when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 months).
geriatrics
the study of health, wellness, and disease later in life.
gerontology
the study of the aging process in people from mid-life through old age.
ageism
prejudice toward, stereotyping of, and/or discrimination against older persons or the elderly.
developmental disabilities
disabilities that are present at birth or emerge during childhood that restrict physical and/or mental ability.