Tulsa Nursing Homes

Tulsa nursing homes provide advanced medical treatment and help with activities of daily living for patients that cannot live independently. While there are many nursing homes that specialize in specific medical issues, patients generally need nursing care for short-term rehabilitation or serious long-term conditions. Also known as skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes offer the highest level of care for the elderly outside of hospital care.

Some Tulsa skilled living facilities handle short-term and long-term care, but most focus on a single type. Long-term care patients may have severe disabilities like dementia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and general physical decline. They need complicated medical treatments that cannot be taken care of by assisted living or in home care. Nurses, doctors and non-medical staff periodically or continuously monitor long-term patients and help patients with eating, walking, bathing and dressing. Although some long-term patients are in nursing homes because of terminal illnesses or persistent conditions, nursing care does allow some long-term patients to improve their health. Short-term care focuses on rehabilitating patients so they can quickly seek lesser levels of care. Skilled nursing facilities have experts that help patients with physical, speech and occupational therapy.

Nearly three-fourths of the time, short-term care is preceded by a hospitalization due to medical event such as strokes, aneurisms and falls. At the end of a senior’s hospital stay, a doctor will assess whether they need further treatment in a nursing home. This approval is necessary for those with Medicare insurance. Top quality health care during a hospital stay is an important part of the recovery period. In Tulsa, Southwestern Regional Medical Center and Saint Francis Hospital South have the best patients’ hospital experience ratings.

Tulsa’s SNF costs are slightly higher than the Oklahoma median but a good amount lower than the national average. The 2012 monthly care costs for nursing care in private and semi-private rooms are $5,120 and $4,289, respectively. Assisted living facility bedrooms, at $3,500 per month, run higher than the national average. Homemaker services, home health aide and adult day health care cost $3,432, $3,623 and $1,300 per month, respectively.

About seven of ten seniors will need long-term care during their lives. Although so many people eventually need care, the day of need often sneaks up on seniors and their families. Many people also hold the belief that nursing homes are poorly run institutions that may possibly endanger the health of their patients. However, federal and state regulations are making nursing care safer and safer. Nursing home records are also available to the public. The best thing seniors and their loved ones can do to ensure they will get proper care is to research and visit specific homes. Our site wants to help with that process. We want to give as much information as possible to allow the difficult decision of choosing nursing care to result in compassionate, dedicated and quality care.