Chicago nursing homes provide for their patients with continuous assistance and specialized care for complicated medical conditions. Nursing care can either be short-term or long-term. Some Chicago skilled nursing facilities take care of both types. Short-care is typically needed for seniors that have gone through a heart attack, a stroke, or fall related injuries. Once they have been properly rehabilitated, they either move on to assisted living facilities, in home residential senior care, senior apartments or back home. Long-term care is for senior patients that have serious and persistent health issues, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Conditions that require regular observation and medical management, such as seniors who take blood thinners and need dosage adjustments, are too time-consuming for assisted living care.
At Chicago area hospitals, seniors who have been treated are usually passed off to nursing homes. Doctors will require that a patient seeks care at a nursing home if further rehabilitation is needed. Illinois hospitals, based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, perform at about the nation average with respect to patients’ experiences. The best hospitals in the city include Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Chicago Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center and Loyola University Medical Center.
In 2012 Chicago area skilled nursing care costs average $5,992 for semi-private rooms and $7,300 for private rooms. Area assisted living facility costs run at $5,015 per month. Illinois State tax law and its Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program allows persons aged 65 and older with total household incomes of less than $50,000 and other qualifications to partially or fully defer their real estate taxes.
Seniors that need to move into a nursing home face a harrowing decision. It is often hard for their families to come to grips with deteriorating health conditions that come with necessary long-term nursing care. Many seniors and their families feel that they will be able to take care of themselves at home or are better off at an assisted living facility. However, there are many situations in which nursing homes are the most appropriate fit. Seniors that have mild to severe cognitive disabilities need well-trained staff that will be able to tend to erratic behavior. The key is to find good nursing homes that do all they can to keep seniors happy and involved, even with their illnesses or decreased mental state. Our site wants to help you understand all the areas where nursing homes can help and where they are deficient. Ultimately, whether for short-term or long-term care, we want to aid seniors and their loved ones in finding cost effective nursing home solutions that also provide compassionate, committed and highly capable care.