Skilled Nursing Homes - What Are They?As
population of United States grows older, many people are looking for senior care solutions. As we age, we often need certain levels of assistance and medical care. This article details one of options available for senior care.
Skilled Nursing Homes
A skilled nursing home is a medical facility providing services similar to a hospital. The homes are staffed with licensed nurses, shared rooms, hospital beds, regular scheduled doctor rounds, meals and housekeeping. Skilled nursing homes often provide a more pleasant setting with optimal nurse to patient ratios and relaxed atmospheres.
Skilled nursing homes provide both long-term and short-term care solutions for seniors. Unlike Assisted Living or Board and Care homes, skilled nursing homes provide solutions for patients with complex medical issues that require 24-hour supervision. These issues can include mental issues such as dementia and physical issues such as major infections, wound care, IV therapy, tube feeding and physical/occupational therapy. Skilled nursing facilities are also a common solution for seniors that are unable to care for themselves on daily basis such as those suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
A skilled nursing home typically provides a team approach when providing medical care to patients. A licensed individual, usually called “administrator”, oversees departments comprising skilled nursing home. A licensed Director of Nursing [“D.O.N.”] is then responsible for administration of each department providing care to residents. Each D.O.N. is directly involved in medical care of each patient. Their duties include overseeing nurses, interacting with physicians and resolving any patient-related issues. In essence, D.O.N. is person overseeing day-to-day medical care of patient.
