ápoltatok

Ápoltatok is a Hungarian noun used to refer to people who receive care, i.e., patients or care recipients, in healthcare and social care contexts. The term designates those who are being cared for rather than those who provide care. In everyday clinical and institutional language it may appear in phrases such as the care of the ápoltatok, though more common everyday terms for patients are betegek or páciensek. The counterpart to ápoltatok are the caregivers, typically called ápolók (nurses or carers).

Etymology and formation: the word is formed from the verb ápolni (to nurse or to care for) with the participial stem ápolt and the plural suffix -atok, yielding a plural noun that points to the group of people who are cared for.

Usage notes: ápoltatok is relatively neutral and tends to occur in formal, clinical, or administrative language, such as medical records, care plans, or demographic reporting. In less formal speech, speakers more often refer to patients as betegek or páciensek, depending on context and register. The term emphasizes the relationship of care rather than the act of caring itself.

See also:

- ápoló

- ápolás

- beteg

- páciens

- gondozott