Anyone work in skilled care?

Published

What is the difference between skilled care and a nursing home? Is this a good place to start while awaiting your RN refresher?

Thanks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What is the difference between skilled care and a nursing home? Is this a good place to start while awaiting your RN refresher?

Thanks.

I think that skilled care has a time limit on the length of stay were as

a nursing home doesn't.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Skilled nursing can be offered in a nursing home. However the services provided is what has a limited time. For example a resident is living in nursing home under regular long-term care...Meds, room, activities and meals (which is generally covered by private pay or some long-term insurances). While there they develop a problem or injury. Lets say they break a hip or have a CVA then they usually go out to the hospital when they return they will then qualify to use their medicare for a certain amount of days which will cover their rehab services, routine nursing care, IV's, woundcare, labwork and other diagnostic testing. However the time they spent in the hospital will be counted as well. So if they stayed in the hospital for 10 days when they return to the nursing home there time does not restart, they may have a total of 90 days services so on their return they would have 80 days left. Another point of "skilled nursing" is that the facility must be a state certified facility so that they can collect from medicare for the services rendered. These facilities are known as rehabilitation centers. At one rehab/NH I worked at had 50 beds and out those 50 they where only certified to have 22 skilled beds. So if the resident is in a nursing home that doesn't offer these services or if the nursing home doesn't have any skilled beds then they will be transfered to a state certified facility just for their rehab and when there time is up then they can return to the nursing home. Hope this helps...... it has been a while since I have worked skilled nursing. I think it is a great place to start, you can do a lot of hands on.

What is the difference between skilled care and a nursing home? Is this a good place to start while awaiting your RN refresher?

Thanks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Skilled nursing can be offered in a nursing home. However the services provided is what has a limited time. For example a resident is living in nursing home under regular long-term care...Meds, room, activities and meals (which is generally covered by private pay or some long-term insurances). While there they develop a problem or injury. Lets say they break a hip or have a CVA then they usually go out to the hospital when they return they will then qualify to use their medicare for a certain amount of days which will cover their rehab services, routine nursing care, IV's, woundcare, labwork and other diagnostic testing. However the time they spent in the hospital will be counted as well. So if they stayed in the hospital for 10 days when they return to the nursing home there time does not restart, they may have a total of 90 days services so on their return they would have 80 days left. Another point of "skilled nursing" is that the facility must be a state certified facility so that they can collect from medicare for the services rendered. These facilities are known as rehabilitation centers. At one rehab/NH I worked at had 50 beds and out those 50 they where only certified to have 22 skilled beds. So if the resident is in a nursing home that doesn't offer these services or if the nursing home doesn't have any skilled beds then they will be transfered to a state certified facility just for their rehab and when there time is up then they can return to the nursing home. Hope this helps...... it has been a while since I have worked skilled nursing. I think it is a great place to start, you can do a lot of hands on.

Thank you so much for the information. This is great. I notice in the phone book that there are several "Rehab or skilled nursing facilities." This will help me with my re-entry skills and not getting bored until I get to take my refresher in the fall.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What the other posters said is correct, but that is just skilled for payment purposes. Most LTCs are skilled nursing...ie they need a nurse for care...medication management, dressings, tube feeds, IVs, pt/ot/sp, behavior management, incontinace care, help with ADLs,etc.

The next step up...is assisted living or personal care.....where minimal help with ADLs are provided. Most ALF in our area have a rule that the residents must be able to get out of the facility on thier own. Some ALF are seeing more skilled care residents, tho.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes that is true. I currently work at a facitity that has assisted living and skilled units. I see alot of ALF's service residents that really need to be in a nursing home setting. It is actually a problem because the staff ratio just aren't able to meet the needs of some of these residents. Do you see this problem in your area ? I think sometimes they admit them to just fill the beds....? We too have that same rule....they must be able to exit the building in an emergency....but most of them really couldn't do it without the assistance of another person.

UOTE=michelle126]What the other posters said is correct, but that is just skilled for payment purposes. Most LTCs are skilled nursing...ie they need a nurse for care...medication management, dressings, tube feeds, IVs, pt/ot/sp, behavior management, incontinace care, help with ADLs,etc.

The next step up...is assisted living or personal care.....where minimal help with ADLs are provided. Most ALF in our area have a rule that the residents must be able to get out of the facility on thier own. Some ALF are seeing more skilled care residents, tho.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion