Skilled Nursing Facilities Vs Nursing Homes

Skilled Nursing Facility

From the outside, a nursing home and a skilled nursing facility can look very similar. There are also care facilities that operate as both, with a separate section or floor of the building dedicated to each care service. The prime dissimilarity between these facilities lies in the degree of care offered to the residents. Read along to know the differences between these facilities and the type of care offered in these facilities.

Skilled Nursing Care 

Skilled nursing care is proffered by registered nurses in a medical setting. A doctor will be supervising the care provided. The level of care offered in a skilled nursing facility is almost the same as that you get in the hospital. Patients may be referred from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility to continue the recovery process after an injury, illness, or surgery.

Apart from skilled nursing care, these facilities also offer rehabilitative services from licensed occupational, physical, and speech therapists. Usually, transitional a skilled nursing facility offers transitional care. These facilities aim to make the resident well enough to go home.

Nursing Home Degree Of Care 

Nursing home care is generally proffered by an authorized practical nurse. A registered nurse will be supervising the care. Nursing home care is mainly concentrated on activities of daily living and is also called custodial care. Cognitive, functional, medical, or behavioral issues can make people unable to take care of themselves and these people can benefit from custodial care. Apart from custodial care, residents of nursing homes can also get help with medication management.

Nursing homes offer long-term residential care. The main goal of these facilities is to offer a safe and caring environment for those who are not able to take care of themselves.

Does Medicare Cover Skilled Nursing Facility Care Or Nursing Home Care? 

Up to a hundred days of stay in a skilled nursing facility is covered under Medicare Part A. The stay in the skilled nursing facility should be after the stay in a qualifying hospital. After twenty days, you will have to pay a share of the cost for every extra day’s stay. On completing one hundred days, you will be asked to pay for the expenses of the stay in full.

The custodial care in a nursing home is not covered under Medicare. Nonetheless, Medicare continues to cover medical supervision for occupants of nursing homes.