Nursing homes are care options for seniors that need medical treatment outside of a hospital that cannot be taken care of by less comprehensive care. Philadelphia nursing homes treat senior patients with many different medical needs. The most general breakdown in care group is short-term versus long-term. Short-term care focuses on rehabilitating a patient so they can move on with their lives. Medical conditions that prompt short-term care include recovering from certain surgeries, heart attacks, aneurisms and strokes. Post-recovery, short-term patients may continue needing less inclusive care via assisted living facilities, senior apartments or in home residential senior care. Long-term care aims to meet all the medical and daily living needs of bedridden patients. Seniors are provided with around-the-clock care for medical care like blood work or a colostomy bag, help with eating meals, washing and personal hygiene, and getting around the facility.
Seniors that have a serious enough medical event to warrant a hospital stay and further treatment will be required by a doctor to pursue nursing facility care. This approval is necessary for seniors under Medicare insurance. It is important, at this juncture, for senior patients and their families to survey the options they have available. Doctors will be able to give recommendations, but it is also important to do your own research. Since a large majority today’s of SNF stays are preceded by hospitalization due to an acute medical event it is important to get the best hospital care. Pennsylvania hospitals rate one or two percentiles lower than the national average for patients’ hospital experiences. The city’s rated best hospitals include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Temple University Hospital.
A doctor’s approval for an SNF stay and a qualifying hospital visit of at least three days will secure 20 days of nursing home care. After that, until day 100 of SNF care in a given benefit period, Medicare will cover the charges except for a coinsurance amount of up to $128.
Philadelphia skilled nursing facility costs are quite average for a Northeastern large metropolitan area. For semi-private rooms in a nursing home you can expect to pay around $8,821 per month. For a private room the cost goes up to $10,053 per month. Assisted living facilities are reasonable at $3,734 per month. Homemaker services, home health aide and adult day health care cost $3,813, $4,109 and $1,560, respectively.
The decision for seniors to start nursing home living can be mentally taxing on themselves and their families. More problems arise in skilled nursing care itself. Even in severely disabled states, seniors may still think they can take of themselves, which makes it difficult for caregivers to do their job. Families of seniors may not agree on how their parent is being taken care of. Caregivers can endanger the health of their patients or even abuse them. Our site wants to help you and your loved ones to understand the whole situation surrounding nursing home care so you can get the most compassionate and quality care possible.