Orlando nursing homes are residences with professional medical caregivers taking care of patients with rehabilitative or serious medical concerns that warrant intermediate to continuous monitoring and treatment. Nursing home caregivers include physicians, nurses, nursing aids, specialists, therapists and social workers. Nursing homes, also known as skilled nursing facilities, provide the highest level of medical care outside a hospital. Seniors and patients admitted to nursing homes are incapable of living independently. The facility’s personnel work to provide dedicated care to fit each patient’s needs.
Orlando skilled nursing facilities are generally broken down into two categories, short-term care and long-term care. Short-term care focuses on helping patients recover from strokes, heart attacks, aneurisms, fall related injuries, invasive surgery or other acute medical crises. Short-term stays primarily concentrate on rebuilding patients’ strength and functions so they can move back home or to less inclusive care. Patients will have access to a bevy of specialists and therapy options, including physical, speech, respiratory and occupational therapy. Long-term care is for those with Parkinson’s, dementia, general physical decline or other severe mental or physical impairments. For some patients, caregivers try to make them as comfortable as possible before end of life care. Other patients are there to seek improvement of their condition. Medical treatment is provided by doctors and nurses. They perform complex medical procedures like blood work and medicine dosage. Social workers try to socially engage patients by providing companionship and a helping hand. Non-medical caregivers are responsible for custodial care, which includes helping patients dress, wash, eat and walk.
Long-term stays often come about because a patient’s medical condition cannot be taken care of by their current level of care. Short-term stays are the result of a medical event demanding a hospital stay. If a nursing care stay is necessary, a doctor will approve and recommend some facilities. Checking with specialists on your condition can also yield valuable referrals. Excellent hospital care is important because it is the initial stage of a future short-term patient’s recovery. In Orlando, the hospitals with the best ratings based on previous patients’ hospital experiences are Orlando Health and Florida Hospital.
Orlando's nursing care costs are slightly above the national average and right around the Florida state median. Private and semi-private SNF rooms have a monthly cost of $7,072 and $6,502. The high cost of nursing care is a difficult prospect for many seniors and their families. Insurance coverage is often limited. For Medicare recipients, it is important to remember that only the first 100 days of a nursing stay is covered in one benefit period. Days 1-20 are fully covered, but days 21-100 are subject to a copayment fee. Medicaid helps patients with lower income levels but is not accepted at all facilities.
Our site wants to give seniors and their loved ones as much information as possible on the complex issues of nursing care. We hope this will aid their search to find a skilled nursing facility with dedicated, attentive, well-trained and quality caregivers at the right location, cost and type of care to match their needs.