Muncie Nursing Homes Information

Short-term care and long-term care are the two most general types of nursing care. Some Muncie skilled nursing facilities have special care units that are separated from patients in general admission. These units treat specific medical conditions, like dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Short-term care is for patients who need rehabilitative services after a stroke, heart attack, aneurism, fall or other acute medical incident. Many short-term patients come directly from hospital care. Their doctor usually requires them to seek nursing care because they need further medical supervision. Nursing personnel guide patients down a personalized path of recuperation. Patients restore strength and rebuild function through occupational, respiratory, speech and physical therapy. At a certain level of health, patients are ready to move to an appropriate lower level of care. After nursing care, the most common options are assisted living and in home care.

Hospital care is the first instance of medical treatment for three of every four short-term nursing patients. Proper hospital care provided by skilled doctors can jumpstart a patient’s recovery process and can advise them on finding a quality area nursing home. The best Muncie area health care services, based on patients’ hospital experiences, are offered by Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital.

Long-term care concentrates on administering advanced forms of care to patients with serious or chronic medical conditions. Patients have illnesses and diagnoses like cancer, hypothyroidism, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis and diabetes that are often in a declining state. Nursing personnel are tasked with restoring or improving the health of these patients. Oftentimes elaborate and complex courses of action are needed to adequately treat long-term care patients. The extensive and extended medical needs of these patients are executed by licensed and registered doctors and nurses. They deliver routine check-ups and perform medical procedures like wound care, dialysis, medication adjustment, intravenous therapy, injections and colostomies. Non-medical caregivers are responsible for assisting patients with basic hygiene, dressing, washing, eating, walking and other activities of daily living. Social workers are present to offer patients a level of companionship, reassurance and independence.

Nursing care costs in Muncie vary depending on patients’ desired accommodations. Private SNF rooms cost $6,813 per month, very close to the Indiana median level. Semi-private SNF rooms cost $5,323 per month, nearly $300 per month below the state median.

For some seniors, moving to nursing care goes against their wishes. It is not unusual for patients to believe that they do not need advanced care. Due to the drawbacks of nursing care, such as lessened social freedom and being removed from friends and family, patients sometimes think they can still live independently. To caregivers, these patients can sometimes prove difficult to properly treat. Some patients refuse medication. Caregivers can also experience problems with family members who do not approve of specific care methods. This is a stressful situation for nursing personnel who have to walk a fine line between adequately caring for patients as per regulations or nursing standards and the demands of family members. However, quality nursing facilities understand that these situations often arise due to the emotionally charged nature of nursing care. They have well-trained personnel who can defuse or mitigate these types of circumstances.