Nursing Home vs. Rehabilitation Center: What Kind of Care is Right for You?
Nursing homes and rehabilitation centers are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but both offer different services and carry different costs. Before deciding what kind of care is right for you or your loved one, you should understand the similarities and differences between both options.
Nursing Homes
The goal of nursing homes is to provide a permanent home for older people who are in need of constant care and may require supervision and monitoring of their movements. A skilled nursing facility may be recommended to patients after a stay in hospital for recovery. Nursing homes usually fall into two categories: public and private.
Nursing home operators aim to create a pleasant environment and provide as many amenities as possible. Skilled nursing includes custodial care, where the nursing staff help residents perform daily tasks such as bathing and using the toilet. The staff also assists patients with medication.
People prefer nursing homes as they are accessible and can be easily found even in small towns. They offer round-the-clock care and provide long-term assistance instead of transitioning patients back to their previous routines. Nursing homes allow residents to actively participate in recreational and social activities and events with their families. Most nursing homes accept insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid making it a viable option for people.
Along with the benefits of a nursing home, there are some drawbacks. Nursing homes are subsidized by a certain level of government funding. Mostly, patients share a room with another patient and are served three fixed meals a day. It's been observed that the ratio of staff to residents is less than optimal in nursing homes.
Rehab Centers
Rehab facilities provide specialized medical care or rehabilitation services to sick, injured, or disabled patients. Patients are referred to a rehab center by a hospital for follow-up care after a stay in the hospital for a specific treatment. Health care specialists and nurses provide medical care to the patients in rehab centers and offer services such as speech therapy and physical rehabilitation.
The staff at a rehab facility is diverse and may include audiologists, physical therapists, pathologists, registered nurses, vocational nurses, licensed practical nurses, a medical director, and other specialized medical staff.
Rehab facilities are usually intended to address short-term conditions. They aren't considered as residential facilities like nursing homes. They are certified and regulated by the federal government, and staying at these facilities is covered by Medicare for up to 100 days.
The purpose of a rehab center is to prepare the patient to get back to their routine life and return home. It may involve intensive therapy for at least three hours every day, five days a week. The therapy sessions are designed by specialists who are trained to meet the patients' rehabilitation goals using specialized equipment and advanced technology to make these sessions effective.
A rehab center is considered a hospital where patients are supervised by a physician and given complete care by trained nurses. Patients typically have access to other specialists such as psychologists and dietitians that help patients through their recovery stage.
When a patient leaves a rehab center, they may return home and receive in-home medical assistance or seek other permanent residential options like a nursing home.
Comparison
Doctors recommend a nursing facility if they want the patient to recover gradually. At the same time, therapy sessions in a rehab center are aimed at helping patients recover quickly so they may return to their everyday lives.
Nursing homes are most likely to accept patients who don’t want to transition back to their previous daily routine.
A nursing home is a long-term residential option for patients who cannot live on their own without assistance. On the other hand, a patient is intended to stay in a rehab center for a short period of time—the average time spent at an in-patient rehab hospital is 16 days.
Nursing homes offer physical, speech, and occupational therapy, but less time is devoted to it with skilled nursing as compared to short-term rehab. Therapy sessions in nursing homes aren't considered as intensive.
What Kind of Care Is Right for You?
Nursing homes and rehab centers offer professional medical care to patients and assist them on their journey to a full recovery. When choosing an option, one of the deciding factors is the amount of care and assistance that the patient requires and whether he is looking for long-term care.
The best way to determine what option meets your needs is to consult with the doctor near the end of a hospital stay. You can discuss your next steps, both short-term and long-term. A medical professional will guide you about skilled nursing home vs. short-term rehab if you are not ready to go home.
