Skilled nursing facilities are best known for offering high-level medical care to patients who require long-term care. However, these facilities can also help individuals who need short-term care, such as accident victims and stroke patients. If you have a loved one who needs this type of short-term care, learn more about choosing a facility for their healthcare needs.
Accommodations
Although your loved one will only receive care for a short period, you want to make sure that they are comfortable for the duration of their stay, no matter how short it is. To aid in this goal, look for a facility that offers the same accommodations to their short-term patients as they do long term patients.
Access to a personal storage closet or the option to have a television in the room are some of the accommodations that should be extended to short -erm patients. The goal is to make your loved one as comfortable as possible during the duration of their stay.
Independence Promotion
Although it is a short-term stay, some people have a challenge transitioning to a skilled nursing facility. Often time, a large part of this challenge involves a fear of losing independence. While the care and medical treatment of your loved one is the top priority, it is also important that your loved one does not feel like their independence is being infringed upon.
It is important that the facility promotes and allows for a certain level of independence for the patients in their facility. For example, if your loved one can move around, make sure the facility will allow your loved one to walk around the facility or outside with limited supervision.
Insurance Coverage
It is also important for you to understand that just because your loved one only needs to stay at the facility for a short period, it does not mean that you cannot rely on health insurance for assistance. If your loved one has health insurance coverage, find out whether or not they offer coverage for a short term stay at a nursing facility.
If so, you will want to coordinate with the insurance company to learn which facilities are in the network to minimize your costs. Once you have this information, the nursing facility will handle all the insurance paperwork for you.
The health and safety of your loved one is most important, so make sure you keep this information in mind as you search. However, once you have found a facility, learn more about how they will care for your loved one.
To learn more, visit a skilled nursing facility near you today.
