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Nursing Home

Nursing homes are highly regulated for quality care and treatment of elderly individuals diagnosed with severe physical health conditions and/or mental disabilities.

Length of Stay for Nursing Home Patients

One in four people admitted to nursing homes stay about three months or less. Many seniors who stay for a short time typically need rehabilitation or terminal (end-of-life) care. About half of senior home residents live at least one year in the nursing home, with 21% living there for nearly five years. Many residents who stay for a longer time enjoy improved health and well-being.

Risk Factors for Admission

Some seniors are at greater risk of needing nursing home care:

  • Age. The older the senior, the more likely they are to be admitted to a nursing home. For example, about 15% of seniors 85 years and older live in nursing homes, compared with just 1.1% of seniors 65-74 years of age.
  • Low income.
  • Poor family support. Seniors who are widowed, divorced, or never married, and childless are more likely to live in a nursing home.
  • Low social activity.
  • Functional or mental difficulties.
  • Race/ethnicity. Caucasian seniors are more likely than others to be admitted to a nursing home.
  • Geriatric syndromes. Patients experiencing frailty, frequent falls, pressure sores, and dementia are at increased risk of nursing home admission.

Characteristics of Nursing Homes

Nursing homes are equipped to offer medical services similar to those provided in hospitals after surgery, illness, or other sudden medical problems. Medical services vary significantly among nursing homes, but may include:

Skilled nursing care
Orthopedic care (for muscle, joint, and bone problems)
Breathing treatments
Post-surgery support
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
Intravenous therapy and antibiotics
Wound care

Nursing homes may also provide:

Nutritional counseling
Social work services
Recreational activities
Respite care
Hospice care
End-of-life care

Before choosing a nursing home, it’s important to know the goals of care in a nursing home and set reasonable expectations for the stay. Nursing homes are not hospitals, and seniors may not receive the same quality of testing and evaluations provided by physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals at a medical facility. Nursing homes:

  • DON’T have in-house pharmacies
  • DON’T offer laboratory services or radiology services in their facility
  • DO contract with third-party providers in the community for specialized medical services (care is tailored to the unique needs of the patient)

Questions to Ask When Searching for a Nursing Home

If a loved one needs to be admitted to a nursing home, family members should consider the following questions before making a decision:

Home caregiver helping a senior woman using a walker at home
Do residents have enough space and privacy in the bedrooms?
Portrait of african american female social worker volunteer playing puzzle game with cheerful senior lady, having fun, laughing searching for right piece sitting together at kitchen table
What recreational activities are offered?
Home Care Appointment
What is the staff to resident ratio?
Puzzle, caregiver and senior men playing a game as entertainment or bonding together in a retirement home. Happy, fun and elderly people enjoy mental rehabilitation and development with nurse
Are the key staff members employed part-time or full-time?
Home caregiver helping elderly patient get seated in passenger seat of parked car
What is the staff turnover rate?
Woman hugging her elderly mother
How close is the nursing home to the resident’s family members?
Elderly woman drinking coffe at home.
What kind of food is served?
Female caregiver spending time with elderly woman, drinking coffee and talking. Nurse and senior woman in wheelchair enjoying a warm day outdoors.
What services are provided and how much do they cost?

When helping a senior transition to a nursing home, it’s important for family members to be closely involved to ensure seniors don’t feel abandoned or betrayed.