Choosing a care partner…
People go to nursing homes for different reasons including short-term needs, such as illness, injury, or post-surgery recovery, and long-term needs like chronic health conditions or disabilities requiring continuous nursing care. We understand that choosing a nursing home can be stressful; it is a life-altering decision impacting not only the resident/patient, but the entire family. Accura HealthCare offers the following information as a resource to help you in your effort to make the best possible decision for you and your family. We recognize this might lead to your choosing another facility, but the care and best fit for the resident/patient is of the utmost importance to us as well.
PAYOR SOURCES – Nursing home care can be expensive. There are many ways you can pay for nursing home care:
- • Personal Funds – You can use your personal money and savings to pay for nursing home care. Nursing homes usually charge a daily rate that will include room and board (including all food). There will be additional charges for specialized medical supplies and pharmacy. You should request a listing of these charges if paying privately.
- • Medicare – Part A coverage under the Medicare program covers skilled nursing care under certain
conditions for a limited time (up to 100 days in a benefit period). These services are designed to treat, manage, observe, and evaluate nursing and therapy. - • Medicaid – This is a joint federal and state program administered under the direction of state
government for some people with limited income and resources. Sometimes you won’t be eligible for Medicaid until you have spent some of your personal resources. Nursing homes can help you determine if you will be eligible. Not all nursing homes accept Medicaid; some limit the number of Medicaid beds available; or they will ask residents/patients to leave after spending down personal funds. - • Insurance – Private insurance can help pay for many types of long-term care needs in a nursing home, including both skilled and non-skilled care. These policies can cover a wide range of services or none at all. The nursing home can assist you in checking with your insurance provider to determine your coverage.
Four Steps to Finding a Nursing Home to Meet your Needs:
People go to nursing homes for different reasons including short-term needs, such as illness, injury, or post-surgery recovery, and long-term needs like chronic health conditions or disabilities requiring continuous nursing care. We understand that choosing a nursing home can be stressful; it is a life-altering decision impacting not only the resident/patient, but the entire family. Accura HealthCare offers the following information as a resource to help you in your effort to make the best possible decision for you and your family. We recognize this might lead to your choosing another facility, but the care and best fit for the resident/patient is of the utmost importance to us as well.
PAYOR SOURCES – Nursing home care can be expensive. There are many ways you can pay for nursing home care:
1. Find nursing home in your area:
- • Ask people you trust – family, friends, doctors, and hospitals
2. Compare the quality of the nursing homes you are considering.
- • Ask the home about their quality measurements and quality improvement plans.
- • Visit Medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare to compare quality results and 5-Star ratings of nursing facilities in your area. (Note: use this with other information in making a choice as some results are not a reflection of current quality in the building. Use this site as a basis to ask questions of the nursing home).
3. Visit the nursing homes you are interested in or have someone visit for you.
- • Visit with the Administrator and Director of Nursing to have questions answered. Ask about staffing, how they handle falls, clinical specialties, and activities. You should be able to get a feel for their passion and commitment to the residents/patients and quality. Watch how they interact during the tour with other residents/patients and staff.
- • Look for the following items during a tour: 1) appearance of residents/patients, physical plant, and staff. Don’t necessarily discredit an older facility. Having an older facility is not a reflection on quality. 2) what sounds do you hear? Moaning and yelling “help” can be unsettling, but it is rarely a sign of poor treatment. 3) odors – occasional hints of something unpleasant are common with elderly that are beginning to lose control of bladder and bowels.
4. Choose the nursing home that meets your needs.
- • Once you have decided on your facility of choice, consider the structure of the organization. Is that facility privately or publicly owned and operated? Are your owners local and available?
Ready to get started?
Senior living can often feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.