Grand Rapids Nursing Homes

Grand Rapids nursing homes provide a variety of services for patients and seniors with moderate to severe mental and physical disabilities and rehabilitative needs. Nursing home caregivers, including physicians, nurses, specialists, therapists, non-medical personnel and social workers, attempt to deliver optimal medical and social care to suit the individual needs of all patients.

A large number of Grand Rapids skilled nursing facilities have special care units for certain medical conditions. However, the two most general categories of care are long-term and short-term care. Short-term care is for patients that need to rehabilitate after surgery, stroke, heart attack, aneurism or other acute medical event. Nursing personnel and therapists will help patients map out and follow a prescribed path to recovery. The path often includes access to appropriate physical, respiratory, speech or occupational therapies. Once finished with a short-term stay, patients often seek less comprehensive levels of care or return to their normal lives. Long-term care is for patients that need extended stays for serious and chronic medical problems. Long-term patients suffer from conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cardiovascular problems and general physical decline. Although some will go on to hospice, nursing homes do their best to help improve the health of their long-term patients. Physicians and nurses administer medical treatment and perform procedures such as routine blood work, colostomies, medicine dosage and wound care. Non-medical staff and social workers help with activities of daily living and help patients maintain their well-being.

Most long-term stays are caused by a worsening condition that cannot be cared for by lower levels of care. Short-term stays are often abrupt consequences of a medical event requiring a hospital stay. It is vital for future short-term patients to receive the best possible hospital care because it will have an effect on their eventual recuperation. The most quality Grand Rapids health services can be found at St. Mary’s Health Care and Spectrum Health – Butterworth Campus.

Grand Rapids’ nursing care costs are quite a bit higher than the Michigan state median and the national average. Private and semi-private SNF accommodations cost $8,106 and $7,120 per month, respectively. Assisted living care costs are relatively less expensive, at $2,500 per month.

Many seniors and their families do not plan ahead for skilled nursing care even though nearly 70 percent of seniors will need it in their lifetime. The patient’s condition will dictate how long a stay is needed. The cost of nursing care is a sizeable barrier for many prospective patients. Medicare will only cover up to 100 days of a nursing stay in a benefit period and will not cover those only with custodial care needs. Long-term care insurance offers the fullest coverage of nursing care costs, though even it has certain limitations. Our site wants to give seniors and their loved ones an understanding of the essential aspects of nursing care so they can ultimately find the ideal skilled nursing facility with dedicated, compassionate and vigilant caregivers.