The following vocabulary is useful for understanding and discussing stages of healthcare.
Stages of healthcare
- Symptoms – these are the signs of illness. For example, a headache and high temperature can be symptoms of a fever.
- Rehabilitation – this is the period after an illness or surgery where the patient is trying to return to their normal health or abilities. E.g. after a limb is removed, the patient will need to go through extensive rehabilitation to learn to move around freely.
- Palliative care – care for people who are terminally ill (also referred to as terminal care or hospice care)
Miscellaneous vocabulary for health
- Immunity – a body’s ability to not be affected by an illness or disease.
- Addiction – a state where a person is unable to stop doing something (e.g. an addiction to smoking).
- Theatre (UK English) Theater (US English) – the place where surgeries are carried out.
- Terminal – a state of illness that cannot be fixed or recovered from and will end in death.