Harrisburg Nursing Homes Information

Registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, physicians, specialists, therapists, case workers, non-medical and housekeeping staff and food service workers all have vital duties to help patients reach their health goals.

Nursing care costs in Harrisburg are slightly lower than the Pennsylvania median. For monthly SNF residency you can expect to pay around $200 per month less than the state median. Private and semi-private nursing home rooms cost $8,064 and $7,323 per month, respectively.

Skilled nursing facilities accommodate a wide range of services for patients and their family caregivers. Respite care is available to help relieve some of the stress that may build up between family care relationships. A respite stay is usually a short and set period of time. It can help sustain or reinvigorate the welfare of family caregivers. Adult day health care allows family caregivers to give their parent, relative or friend a safe environment to spend time among peers while the caregiver is away during the day.

Some Harrisburg skilled nursing facilities run specialized care units that offer their expertise in treating patients with specific serious medical conditions, like Alzheimer’s. These programs are usually offered in addition to the two more generalized forms of care, short-term and long-term care.

Short-term care gives patients time to rehabilitate from acute medical trauma like a stroke, cardiac arrest, fall, operation or aneurism. Most short-term patients were recently hospitalized and required to seek nursing care by their doctor. Quality hospital care can help patients transitioning to a nursing home with their further rehabilitation efforts. The best hospitals in Harrisburg, based on patients’ past hospital experiences, are Pinnacle Health Hospitals and Holy Spirit Hospital. Nursing professionals try to help patients get desired results through occupational, auditory, speech, respiratory and physical therapy sessions. Facilities have the necessary equipment and supplies to help patients rebuild their functioning to pre-trauma levels. Patients do not completely recuperate through short-term care. Many usually move on to an assisted living facility or in home residential care arrangement.

Long-term care admits patients who bear extensive and prolonged needs for health monitoring and treatment. They suffer from serious, chronic, aggressive and progressive physical and mental illnesses like diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, dementia, Huntington’s disease and emphysema. Certain diagnoses require patients to be house in closed wards to prevent them from wandering off. Other advanced symptoms demand prompt and cooperative courses of treatment from the entire nursing staff. Physicians and nurses deliver around-the-clock check-ups and medical procedures like enteral feeding tubes, wound care, injections, medication adjustment, ventilator management and intravenous therapy. Non-medical personnel see to patients who cannot independently complete daily living tasks like grooming, walking, bathing, dressing and feeding. Social workers are part of a facility’s services that try to give patients reassurance and independence through activities, relaxation, interaction and self-care.

Deciding the nursing home that is best for you and your loved ones is an important decision that should take the patient’s considerations in hand. Aside from the financial aspects of each facility, it is helpful to visit nursing homes with a personal checklist of preferences. The facility’s location, rooms, room selection and amenities, visiting hours, dining experience, staff, counseling services and overall cleanliness are essential factors. It is often helpful to go with your first impression when visiting a SNF. If you have second thoughts have whittled your list down to the last few facilities, an unscheduled visit may be able to give you a better understanding of how the facility is normally run.