Wilmington Nursing Homes Information

Every caregiver is part of a collective effort to meet the needs of each patient.

Some Wilmington area facilities are equipped to give specialized care to patients with specific medical concerns, like diabetes or dementia. In addition to specialized care, nursing homes deliver short-term or long-term care.

Short-term care is for patients rehabilitating from falls, strokes, aneurisms, heart attacks or other acute medical events that landed them in the hospital. The majority of short-term patients are receiving outpatient care. In conjunction with patients and their families, nursing professionals map out a plan of recovery that attempts to effectively restore and rebuild patients’ lost strength and function. These plans often utilize speech, respiratory, physical and occupational therapy. A short-term stay is often the intermediate point of medical treatment for patients. After being discharged, many patients move on to a lower level of care, like assisted living or in home care, to reach full recovery.

Receiving quality care during a future short-term patients hospital stay can influence a patient’s recovery down the road. Skilled physicians can get patients off to a quick recovery during the first few days after an acute medical crisis. Wilmington’s best hospital care, based on patients’ prior hospital experiences, can be found at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Long-term care focuses on treating patients with moderate to severe physical and mental disabilities. Patients may be bedridden by general physical decline or may have diagnoses like dementia, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis or hypothyroidism. The elaborate and complex medical needs of each patient are treated through a coordinated effort by all facility personnel. Physicians and nurses administer check-ups and perform medical skills like wound care, injections, medication adjustments, colostomies, tracheostomies and intravenous therapy. Non-medical caregivers are responsible for patients’ custodial care needs, like help with walking, eating, dressing and bathing. Nursing homes are also concerned with patients’ social well-being. Social workers give patients a certain level of companionship and recreational planners coordinate activities, games, events, outings and dinners.

Wilmington skilled nursing facility care costs fall about $400 below the North Carolina median. Private SNF rooms have an expected monthly cost of $5,308. Private SNF rooms cost $5,703 per month. Homemaker services, home health aide and adult day health care cost $3,098, $3,381 and $1,083 per month, respectively. Assisted living accommodations cost $3,684 per month.

Nursing homes are often looking upon in a bad light by seniors and their families. This may often be a result of reports of abusive, neglectful or improper care provided by certain facilities. Prospective patients must know that this should not prohibit them from searching for the finest in quality nursing care. Poorly run facilities are not representative of the industry as a whole. One way to ensure that the nursing home of your choice will not have this problem is by checking online state databases and with your local long-term care ombudsman about complaints against specific homes.