Nobody ever WANTS to go into a nursing home! (True, but……….)

For those of you who have always wondered about nursing homes;

Nobody ever WANTS to go into a nursing home! (True, but……….)

There are many myths about nursing homes that may have been true in the past, but are now very untrue- read on to learn that your preconceived notions may be wrong!

#1) The biggest myth of all! “The nursing home is the end of the line- you only go there to die”

WOW! I am astonished at how often I hear this! Almost every nursing home has a significant focus on helping a person recover from illness or injury and transition to a lesser level of care. That means, if you go to a nursing home, nobody just gives up on you. It is frequently just a stepping stone, rather than a “last stop”. Discharge planning is done on a regular basis for everyone, even if they were admitted for “long-term care!” I bet you didn’t know that! The nursing home has a responsibility to assess whether a person still needs that level of care, and if he or she doesn’t, to make arrangements for discharge to an alternative setting. This could mean home with or without additional services, to an assisted living facility, rest or group home, senior housing, or to a family member’s home. Many states are enacting legislation to provide more home services for these nursing home residents who have improved to the point they no longer require nursing (or skilled) care.

ALSO…………… many nursing homes provide “short-term rehabilitation” or “subacute care” specifically designed to assist those who have had illness, injury, or surgery obtain the physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as nursing care, they require after a hospital stay. The focus from Day 1 is to get these residents back on their feet and help them transition back home. In most cases, Medicare and private insurances cover these services as long as certain criteria are met.

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about myth #1 or nursing homes in general, and stay tuned for myth #2!

Shaileen (203)927-0702

There are many career opportunities in nursing homes! From administrators, to accountants, to housekeepers, nurses, cnas, therapists, and many, many other opportunities, nursing homes offer fulfilling, secure careers with potential for advancement.