As used in sections 197.250 to 197.280, the following terms mean:

(1) “Abuse”, any physical, emotional, or sexual maltreatment;

(2) “Branch office”, a location or site from which a hospice provides services within a portion of the total geographic area served by the parent agency where the area served is contiguous to or part of the area served by the whole agency;

(3) “Council”, the state hospice advisory council created in section 197.272;

(4) “Department”, the department of health and senior services;

(5) “Hospice”, a coordinated program of palliative and supportive services provided in both home and inpatient settings which provides for physical, psychological, social and spiritual care for dying persons and their families where services are provided by a medically directed interdisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers and bereavement care is available to the family following the death of the person;

(6) “Neglect”, the failure to provide, or arrange for the provisions of, the services which are reasonable and necessary to maintain the physical and mental health of a client when such failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety or welfare of the client or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result. Such failure shall not constitute neglect if the failure results from circumstances which:

(a) Are beyond the control of the person or entity failing to provide such services; and

(b) Render it impossible for the person or entity to provide such services and to arrange for the provision of such services;

(7) “Parent agency”, the agency that develops and maintains administrative control of subunits and branch offices, and also maintains supervisory control of branch offices;

(8) “Physician”, a person licensed by the state board of registration for the healing arts under the provisions of chapter 334 to practice in this state as a physician and surgeon;

(9) “Residence”, the client’s actual dwelling place, including institutional dwelling places.

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