memory care assisted living

4 Things That Make Skilled Nursing Homes the Best Place for Long-Term Care

The world’s population is growing old and with it comes the need for long-term care for the elderly. In fact, approximately 1.7 million Americans live in one of the 15,000 nursing homes around the country in a year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. These facilities offer a wide range of services depending on the type of care and the amount of time needed by the patient. One of the best options for long-term care is a skilled nursing home and here’s why:

 

 

Skilled Nursing Homes offer Specialized Services that you won’t find at a Regular Nursing Facility

 

Aside from offering meal preparations, senior care, and non-medical assistance, skilled nursing homes specialize in a variety of rehabilitation services and have specialized staff lie audiologists, pathologists and therapists to help patients recover following an emergency hospital stay. Skilled nursing homes also have licensed medical practitioners on site to assist patients with their needs.

 

 

Skilled Nursing Facilities are Covered by Medicare

 

Medicare covers up to 100 days of a patient’s stay in skilled nursing homes. This includes a semi-private room, skilled nursing care, meals, speech-language pathology, medications, medical supplies and equipment, physical and occupational therapy and dietary counseling. The first 20 days of stay at a skilled nursing facility will be completely free of charge while day 21-100 will be charged $167.50 daily, which will be paid by either insurance or the patient. For stays of more than 100 days, all costs will need to be shouldered by the patient.

 

 

A Skilled Nursing Facility has a Team of Professionals Providing Care

 

One of the biggest differences between a typical nursing home and a skilled nursing home is that the latter has a team of professionals offering care to patients unlike the non-medical workers in a nursing home. Here, you will find registered nurses, medical doctors, vocational nurses and rehabilitation specialists providing all the services needed by the patient to transition from the hospital to their home after full recovery.

 

 

A Skilled Nursing Facility offers Transitional Care

 

Most elderly patients who have been admitted to a hospital due to a medical condition or accident may need to transfer to one of the skilled nursing homes in their area after being discharged. This is to help them transition back to their personal residence smoothly by making sure that they are well enough to return to their normal life.

 

Although a stay in a skilled nursing facility may take a few months, it is still shorter than those in a nursing home. However, some nursing homes are also skilled nursing facilities where the patient can safely transition from the hospital to the nursing home after a hospital stay.

 

 

Whether you’re the patient or you’re caring for a loved one who needs transitional or long-term care, it’s very important to learn about the differences between nursing homes to determine which facility will suit your needs best. And while you’re at it, you should also learn about payment options and what coverage Medicare offers for your needs.

 

 

 


Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

memory care assisted living

Memory Care and Medicare: What You Need to Know

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Alzheimer’s disease, which affects parts of the brain that control memory, thought and language, is the most common form of dementia. In 2018, more than 5.7 million Americans are already living with Alzheimer’s disease and this is projected to reach 7.1 million by 2025.

 

With this growing number also comes the increasing cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia including memory care assisted living, which is expected to reach a staggering $277 billion.

 

Alzheimer’s care is definitely expensive, which brings this question to mind: will Medicare cover memory care for beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s or dementia? Yes, Medicare will pay for memory care cost, but not all of it.

 

 

Here’s what you should know:

 

Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

 

  • If you’re enrolled in Medicare Part B, you will be covered for annual wellness visits, which will include a health risk assessment that usually determines the symptoms that lead to the diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. After a diagnosis is made, your doctor will offer advice on advance care planning options.

 

  • Medicare Part B will cover 80% of the cost of diagnostic tests to rule out other conditions and diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and its progression. This includes PET scans, CT scans and MRIs that are ordered by a doctor and provide useful information that will help in proper care planning.

 

  • Part B will pay for 100% of the approved amount for annual depression screenings provided that your doctor accepts the assignment and you get it in a primary care setting. Part B also covers all doctor visits and follow-ups and so are mental health services including counseling and occupational health therapies as long as the doctor prescribes them.

 

  • Medicare Part A covers inpatient care, but this might include co-payments, co-insurance costs, and deductibles depending on the type and cost of services needed. The coverage also includes all drugs prescribed during your hospital stay.

 

  • Only Medicare Part D, which is usually from private insurance companies, is needed for covering prescription drugs to take at home.

 

Middle-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

 

  • Medicare offers very limited coverage during middle-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Full-time nursing care is not covered and only limited home health coverage is available and will depend upon the patient’s situation.

 

  • Medical care and health services prescribed by the doctor during the early stage of the disease will continue through the middle-stage.

 

 

Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

 

  • In terms of memory care assisted living, Medicare doesn’t generally cover full-time nursing home care but offers skilled nursing care in some situations. Medicaid programs run by the state may cover long-term services, however, especially for beneficiaries with limited income. Medicare covers up to 100 days in skilled nursing homes under limited circumstances. Hospice care delivered at home, a hospice facility or nursing facility for patients who are determined by the doctor to be near the end of life is also covered by Medicare.

 

  • For patients in late-stage Alzheimer’s, Medicare will cover the cost of home health care for up to 35 hours a week provided that the patient is certified as “homebound.”

 

 

It’s very important to know the in-betweens of Medicare coverage for patients with Alzheimer’s disease to know which options will best help cover the cost of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s including memory care assisted living.

 

 


Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper