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Senior Living and Care
information. resources. choice. |
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Thursday, September 09, 2010
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Skilled Nursing Resources and Tools
With the help of leading senior housing and skilled nursing professionals, we've assembled the best resources available to help you learn about, assess, and choose the right skilled nursing options for your needs.
We recommend you download and print each of our checklists. You'll find them invaluable tools when evaluating a facility you are interested in and determining the costs you can expect. You'll also find our Skilled Nursing Glossary and Frequently Asked Questions sections to be great resources as well.
Join the Skilled Nursing Social Networking Group
Search for nursing homes
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| Long-term Care Conversation Checklist | This conversation guide offers helpful tips for family members to begin talking about senior care and senior housing with their loved ones. | 100.44 KB | Download |
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| Caregiver Stress Test | Take this test periodically to assess the amount of stress you are dealing with as a primary caregiver. | 91.72 KB | Download |
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| Skilled Nursing Tour Checklist | Print out and take with you when touring skilled nursing facilities. This checklist will help you evaluate each skilled nursing facility for important factors such as location, amenities, security, and general atmosphere. | 124.61 KB | Download |
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| Skilled Nursing Administrative Checklist | Use this checklist to get more information about the facility from the administrators and/or management staff. Questions about licenses, certification, healthcare, and various policies are covered in this form. | 149.71 KB | Download |
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| In Case of Emergency Checklist | A vital health history form to keep up-to-date and readily accessible in case of an emergency. | 126.59 KB | Download |
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| Fall Prevention Checklist | Make any facility safer for seniors and print out this checklist for important safety considerations. | 112.55 KB | Download |
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| Senior Housing – What You Need to Know | Our 12-page booklet offers information about assessing your housing needs, considering certain housing factors, and determining your most important personal preferences in senior housing. | Unknown | Download |
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| Senior Housing Selection Tool | Unsure what type of senior housing is right for you or a loved one? We’ve put together this chart to help you determine what senior housing and level of care options might be most appropriate based on your personal situation. | 88.21 KB | Download |
- Glossary
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Accreditation
A designation issued by an independent body to an organization. The accrediting body establishes standards and requirements for organizations in a field or industry. To become accredited, the provider implements practices that meet the established standards and requirements.
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Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Physical functions that an independent person performs each day, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, walking or wheeling, and transferring into and out of bed.
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Acute Care
Care that has recovery as its primary goal; typically requires the services of a physician, nurse, or other skilled professional and usually provided in a doctor's office or hospital; usually short term.
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Administrator
A licensed professional who undertakes the duty of managing day-to-day operations of a nursing facility.
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Adult Day Care
Services provided to seniors at a community-based center for 8-10 hours during the day. Services are social and health related (i.e. planned activities, assistance with ADLs, and physical and mental exercise) and may cater to seniors with special needs such as memory care. Transportation to and from the center is often provided and meals and snacks are prepared and served.
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Aid & Attendance (VA Benefit)
A special pension provided to Veterans and their widows(ers) of below-average financial means who require regular assistance with ADLs. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation.
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Alzheimer’s Disease
A progressive and fatal brain disorder which destroys brain cells and causes degradation of memory, thinking and behavior. The most common form of dementia.
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American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA)
A non-profit membership organization which provides superior educational programming, certification in a variety of positions, and career development for long-term care administrators. They also Identify, recognize, and support long term care leaders, advocating for their mission and promoting excellence in their profession.
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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
Another name for Pet Therapy. A type of therapy which utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients. Studies have shown that physical contact with a pet can lower high blood pressure and improve survival rates for heart attack victims.
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Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
A non-profit organization that receives government support to organize and administer programs and services to older Americans on a local level. Their service area typically includes a county or group of counties. They also specialize in providing resources to seniors of below average financial means.
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| Q: Is skilled nursing the right option for me? |
| A: A skilled nursing facility is the best option for people who require a higher level of care and access to 24-hour nursing assistance. Short-term rehabilitative care is also offered which can include such therapies as intensive physical, occupational or speech therapy. For people who only require moderate health care or personal assistance, an assisted living facility may be a better option. |
| Q: How do I choose a nursing home? |
A: There are many things to consider when choosing a new home and choosing a nursing facility can be even more daunting. We recommend the following steps to find the best choice for you and your family.
1. Choose a location. Use our Skilled Nursing search to narrow down the facilities in your area of interest.
2. Do your homework. Visit the Medicare.gov site to obtain a copy of the latest quality report for each of the facilities you are considering. For non-Medicare or Medicaid certified buildings, when looking at a detailed listing on SNAPforSeniors, click on the “Licenses” link to see a list of all licenses a facility holds. The office from which the license was issued should be able to provide you with the latest inspection report.
3. Schedule a visit. The best way to evaluate any facility is to see for yourself firsthand. Sometimes being in the building is just the experience you need to “feel” if it’s the right choice. Many communities will also allow you to stay for a meal or spend the night to get a better idea of what the day-to-day experience is really like.
4. Get feedback. Talk to people who have had experience with this facility themselves. Hearing from current or past residents about their experiences and obtaining recommendations can be crucial in making a final decision.
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| Q: How do I recognize a quality nursing home? |
A: Over 90% of the nearly 16,000 nursing homes in the U.S. are Medicare certified. The Nursing Home Compare tool on the Medicare.gov site can provide you with quality metrics for all Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in the country. For those facilities that are not Medicare or Medicaid certified, you’ll need to check with your state licensing department to obtain the latest inspection report.
Also, a number of nursing homes have administrators that have been certified by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA), a Professional Certification Program which identifies and honors administrators and managers who are performing at an advanced level of skill and knowledge. To find a facility on SNAPforSeniors with an ACHCA certified administrator, check the “Affiliations” link on the detailed listing of the facility.
In January of 2009, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled a one- to five-star rating system for nursing homes to more easily determine a nursing home’s quality. The rankings are based on a nursing home’s performance in three areas: quality measures, nurse staffing levels and health inspection reports.
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| Q: How can I pay for skilled nursing care? |
A: There are many ways in which seniors can pay for skilled nursing care (most often a senior will use a combination of two or more of the following):
1. Private Funds – seniors with comfortable financial means pay for skilled nursing care with private funds. Some examples of private funds are:
a. Money from savings, checking, & money market accounts
b. Liquidation of investments such as stocks, bonds, & mutual funds
c. Liquidation of assets such as a home or a life insurance policy
d. Monetary contributions from family members
2. Long term care insurance – Once a LTC Insurance policy holder’s health has declined to the point that they meet minimum requirements of the policy, the Insurance company will begin to pay benefits which may be used to pay for a nursing home.
3. Medicaid –Seniors with limited income and assets may be eligible. Because Medicaid is a state-administered program, each state has its own rules with respect to eligibility and covered services.
4. Veteran’s Benefits – Veterans (or their widows(ers)) that have served during wartime may be eligible for benefits through the Veteran’s Administration (link to glossary). To qualify, you must either have a low income and few assets or have disproportionately high medical-related expenses in relation to their income.
Note: Medicare only pays out in situations of short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay. Medicare is not a viable source of payment for long term care in a nursing home. |
| Q: What are the different skilled nursing license types in each state? |
| A: To view a comprehensive list of all the senior housing licenses in the SNAPforSeniors database, please visit our Senior Housing License Types Reference page. |
| Q: How much does it cost? |
A: There are many factors which go into the cost for nursing homes so getting an average cost is difficult. However, the MetLife Mature Market Institute released a national survey of nursing home and assisted living costs in 2008 which shows the average rate of care throughout the country.
The level of care, location of the facility, and the private or semi-private rooms available can mean a huge range in daily costs. For example, the low average rate of a private room in a Louisiana nursing home is $127 a day where the high average rate of a private room in Alaska is $577 a day. Viewing the national survey will help to give you a better idea of what to expect in your area.
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