Santa Fe Nursing Homes Information

Nursing care is overseen by a multidisciplinary team of personnel, including physicians, nurses, specialists, therapists, social workers, recreational planners, non-medical staff and nutritionists.

Most area nursing facilities offer one of the two general categories of nursing care, short-term and long-term care. Some institutions have the capabilities to admit residents for both types of care. Certain facilities also have special care units for patients who have specific medical problems, like memory loss.

Short-term care offers rehabilitation services to patients who are recovering from a stroke, heart attack, fall, aneurism or other acute medical incident that put them in the hospital. Nearly 75 percent of short-term nursing patients are receiving outpatient care. Some hospitals have nursing facilities on their campus, but patients must usually seek a standalone home. As prescribed, short-term patients utilize speech, respiratory, occupational and physical therapy to return to their highest level of functioning. Caregivers are present to keep patients on an effective path of recovery. When patients have reached a certain level of health, discharge planners assist them in transitioning to a lower level of care, like assisted living or in home residential care.

As the initial point of medical treatment for many short-term nursing patients, hospital care can be vital for patients’ future well-being. Quality hospital care can shorten the time patients need to spend under nursing care. The best health care services in Santa Fe, based on patients’ prior hospital experiences, are offered by Santa Fe PHS Indian Hospital.

Long-term care focuses on improving or maintaining the level of health for patients with dementia, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis or other serious physical or mental impairments. Long-term patients often pursue such care due to the worsening state of an existing condition. These patients require responsive, attentive and collaborative care on part of all nursing home caregivers. Nurses and physicians are on call around-the-clock to monitor symptoms and perform medical procedures like medication adjustments, blood testing, injections and wound care. Non-medical personnel assist patients who cannot independently complete activities of daily living. Recreational planners and social workers try to optimize patients’ social welfare through home-wide trips, dinners, events, activities and games.

Monthly costs for Santa Fe skilled nursing facility residency are higher than the national average and the New Mexico median level. Semi-private SNF accommodations cost $6,023 per month, nearly $400 per month above the median. Private SNF rooms have an expected monthly cost of $6,540, almost $250 per month higher than the state median.

The high cost of nursing care in the U.S. is a cause of financial trouble for many seniors and their families. Nursing home visits are not covered under traditional health insurance. Long-term care insurance is an increasingly popular way to defray the costs but has expensive monthly premiums that put it out of the reach of many patients. Medicare and Medicaid offer supplemental help to qualified patients. Medicare provides 100 days of nursing care coverage to disabled persons and people over 65. Medicaid pays for a large proportion of nursing care for those with low levels of income.