Available Services

Skilled Nursing

Skilled nursing care refers to a patient’s need for care or treatment that can only be performed by licensed nurses. Skilled nursing is mostly regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). To be certified by CMS, skilled nursing communities must meet strict criteria and are subject to periodic inspections to ensure quality standards are being met.

Types of skilled nursing care

If you or a loved one has had a stroke, surgery or extensive treatment for kidney, heart or respiratory conditions, they may still require rehabilitation at a skilled nursing community following their release from the hospital. Medicare will pay for skilled nursing services if a physician prescribes specialized therapies – physical and occupational therapy – medications, medical equipment and supplies, and social services, to help your loved one meet their health goals. However, to qualify, you must go to a Medicare-certified skilled nursing community.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) helps patients regain mobility and function after a serious injury or illness. Physical therapists use exercises, stretches, and other techniques to improve strength, flexibility, and range of motion. They also help patients improve balance and gait after hip fractures and other orthopedic injuries, or as they recover from joint replacement procedures.

Long-Term Care

Long term care services focus more on medical care than most assisted living facilities or board and care homes. Services offered in a nursing home typically include nursing care, 24-hour supervision, three meals a day, and assistance with everyday activities. 

In many cases, people must pay for nursing home care themselves. Medicare generally doesn’t cover long-term stays in a nursing home, but it may pay for some related costs, such as doctor services and medical supplies. Medicaid may also cover some of the costs of nursing homes for people who are eligible based on income and personal resources. If the older person has long-term care insurance, the policy may include some coverage for nursing home care.

Occupational Therapy

What is the role of OT for short-term care patients?

1. Focusing on patient’s daily activities related to their own at-home environment

2. Training in how to perform daily activities with equipment, such as a walker or cane

3. Preparing the patient and family on community re-entry, reintroducing them to functioning in a public setting

4. Assessing modifications needed to the home-setting to compensate for mobility level

5. Helping patients increase mobility for their return to work

What is the role of OT for long-term care residents?

1. Enhancing their level of independence by training the resident to perform self-care tasks

2. Enhancing the residents’ ability to perform everyday activities, such as ability to use the phone or the staff call system

3. Helping residents with cognitive and perceptual deficits to maximize abilities related to attention span, orientation, sequencing, and/or memory

Assisted Living

Assisted living is for people who need help with daily care, but not as much help as a nursing home provides. Assisted living facilities range in size from as few as 25 residents to 100 or more. Typically, a few levels of care are offered, and residents pay more if they need extra services or special care.

Assisted living residents usually live in their own apartments or rooms and share common areas. They have access to many services, including up to three meals a day; assistance with personal care; help with medications, housekeeping, and laundry; 24-hour supervision, security, and on-site staff; and social and recreational activities. Some assisted living facilities are part of a larger organization that also offers other levels of care. For example, continuing care retirement communities may also offer independent living and skilled nursing care. Exact arrangements vary by facility and by state.

Speech Therapy

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) play an important role in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF). SLPs assess and treat patients with a wide variety of deficits, including, but not limited to, dysphagia, cognition, speech and/or communication difficulties. 

According to ASHA, approximately 7.6% of ASHA-certified SLPs work in a SNF. ASHA states, “They treat the same disorders that are seen in hospitals, but typically stay longer to work on functional skills to become more independent.”