Saginaw Nursing Homes Information

Nursing homes are staffed by a full team of caregivers, including registered and licensed physicians and nurses, certified nursing assistants, therapists, social workers, non-medical personnel, housekeepers and food service workers.

The monthly cost of residency at a Saginaw skilled nursing facility sits below the Michigan state median. Private SNF accommodations bear a monthly cost of $6,692, about $700 per month less than the median. Semi-private SNF rooms cost $6,312 per month, nearly $400 per month beneath the Michigan median.

Many Saginaw area nursing homes have services outside the normal categories of short-term and long-term care. Respite care is designed to give family caregivers a break from the everyday physical and emotional stresses of caregiving. These caretakers are often unpaid workers who care for their family members, neighbors or friends. Respite care gives patients a short period of nursing care so their caregivers have time to do things that may have been neglected due to the obligations of caregiving. Adult day health care is useful for family caregivers who go to work each day. This service allows their patients to be under a watchful eye that provides appropriate medical treatment and robust social opportunities.

Short-term care is for patients who were hospitalized for an acute medical event like strokes, operations or cardiac arrest. Under hospital care, a patient’s doctor will decide whether or not they need the rehabilitative services or a short-term nursing facility. Quality hospital care gives patients a higher chance of receiving a proper diagnosis and treatment that will help them toward a full recovery. The best health care centers in the Saginaw area, based on patients’ hospital experiences, are St. Mary’s of Michigan Medical Center and Covenant Medical Center, Inc. Short-term nursing services usually consist of assistance that will help patients regain functioning and strength. Patients are guided through a personalized care plan that often includes auditory, speech, physical, respiratory or occupational therapy. Short-term care is meant to bridge the gap between hospital care and a lower level of care. After being discharged, many short-term patients move on to in home care arrangements or an assisted living facility.

Long-term care admits patients who have extensive needs due to severe physical and mental impairments like diabetes mellitus, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Fibromyalgia, atherosclerosis, paraplegia, emphysema and congestive heart failure. Patients are closely supervised by staff members who are ready to provide responsive care. Doctors and nurses keep patients on their care program and administer medical procedures like enteral feeding tubes, medication adjustment, ventilator management, CPR, wound care and injections. Non-medical personnel aid patients with basic hygiene, dressing, feeding, toileting, washing, walking and other activities of daily living. Psychosocial well-being for all residents is promoted through recreational activities, spiritual guidance, counseling services, outings, events and leisure opportunities.

A troubling trend in the nursing home industry is that seniors and their families are increasingly deciding to pursue assisted living care instead of nursing care. While assisted living facilities can handle patients who need minimum to moderate supervision, many of these patients have serious medical conditions that require skilled care. Most of these instances occur due to the negative connotations attached to nursing homes. However, assisted living can cause problems due to its low level of care, relative to skilled nursing care. Some patients will not receive the custodial care they need, like daily or hourly sheet changing, under assisted living care. Some assisted living facilities are also not allowed to legally administer medicine. Instead, nurses must hand medication to patients and can only advise them to take it. For uncooperative or mentally incapacitated patients, this can lead to many problems. Seniors and their loved ones should heed their doctor’s advice if a nursing home is suggested.