Skilled Nursing Facilities: What Services Do They Provide?

The aging process naturally requires people to need a bit of assistance as they grow older. For some people, basic in-home care is enough to allow them to retain their independence and continue aging in place. For others, the services of an assisted living facility, which are a bit more comprehensive, are preferable to trying to maintain a home on their own. Others, still, may benefit most from moving into a skilled nursing facility.

Skilled nursing facilities, or nursing homes, as they are more commonly called, provide what is known as custodial care. This form of care offers a long list of services to elderly individuals, including assistance with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, eating, and housekeeping. While assisted living facilities also provide this form of aid, nursing homes go a step further by offering medical care.

To ensure that residents receive the best care possible, nursing homes often employ licensed physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals. Donna, a resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, recently discovered that not all nursing homes are the same. In fact, when trying to choose the right skilled nursing facility for her father, Donna learned the importance of comparing the living arrangements and services that each nursing home supplies to its residents.

The key to securing accommodations for your elderly loved one in a skilled nursing facility that will see to their every need is to compare the nursing homes in the area. While all of these facilities offer similar services, they may have different living arrangements, varying staffing levels, or diverse healthcare professionals on call. Understanding your loved one's needs and seeing how each nursing facility measures up to them is the best way to determine which will provide the most comprehensive, reliable care to your senior.

Nursing homes are often associated with a negative connotation; however, these facilities play a crucial role in the aging process. It is true that some facilities are better for your senior than others. For this reason, elder care professionals encourage you to take stock of the services and living arrangements that each contender offers before deciding which facility is best for your loved one.