Skilled Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care - Fallbrook Assisted Living

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