Iowa City Nursing Homes Information

Nursing homes are fully staffed with doctors, nurses, nursing aids, specialists, therapists, nutritionists, social workers and non-medical personnel who all work together to properly treat each resident.

The two main classes of nursing care are short-term and long-term care. Certain Iowa City skilled nursing facilities also contain special care units separated from the more general amenities. These units offer expertise in treating particular medical conditions, like diabetes.

Short-term care focuses on providing rehabilitative services to patients who are recovering from the damaging effects of acute medical trauma like falls, strokes, aneurisms, heart attacks and invasive surgeries. A large proportion of these patients were filtered from hospital care to nursing care. They use short-term stays as an intermediate stage of recuperation. Patients often undertake speech, respiratory, occupational and physical therapy sessions to get to a level of health where assisted living or in home care are more appropriate for their needs. When patients near this point, discharge planners help patients to transition to a less inclusive type of care.

Hospital care is an essential component to an estimated 75 percent of short-term patients’ recovery processes. Proper care can aid patients by giving their rehabilitation a sound foundation. Hospital caregivers are also excellent sources of information about area nursing facilities. The best Iowa City health care services, based on patients’ past hospital experiences, can be found at University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics and Mercy Hospital.

Long-term care admits patients who are suffering from moderate to serious mental and physical health problems. Typically, they have deteriorating conditions that have outgrown their previous form of treatment. Patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis and general decline due to old age all receive the highest level of medical care one can find outside a hospital. A nursing facility’s full team of caregivers offers periodic to continuous health monitoring through a responsive and collaborative effort. Doctors and nurses perform medical skills like routine check-ups, medication adjustments, wound care, tracheostomies, colostomies and respiratory therapy. Non-medical personnel are responsible for assisting patients with basic hygiene and activities of daily living like walking, dressing, eating and washing. The social component of skilled care is fulfilled by social workers who offer patients a certain level of companionship and recreational planners who hold home-wide events, activities, games, dinners and trips.

Nursing care costs in Iowa City are under the national average but above the Iowa median level. Private SNF accommodations run $5,642 per month, nearly $600 per month above the median. Semi-private SNF rooms cost $4,844 per month, around $200 per month more than the Iowa state median.

Patients who are eligible to receive benefits from Medicare and Medicaid to help support some of the cost of nursing care need to understand the limitations, rules and requirements of each program, so they can receive the amount of financial aid they deserve. Medicare is for seniors over 65 and disabled persons. Medicare recipients are given 100 days of nursing stay coverage; 20 days of full coverage and 80 days subject to a daily copayment fee. Patients are not covered for custodial care alone; they must have a corresponding need for medical or other form of skilled care. They must also have spent at least 3 days under hospital care prior to moving to a nursing home. Medicaid assists patients with low levels of assets and income. The eligibility for Medicaid is determined state-by-state. Only nursing facilities certified by the government to deliver care to Medicaid recipients are covered by the program.