A Nursing Home, also known as a Skilled Nursing Facility or SNF, has Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Certified Nursing Assistants who help provide 24-hour care to people who can no longer care for themselves due to physical, emotional, or mental conditions. A licensed nurse is always on the premises.

The Arthur Home has two basic types of services: Skilled Medical care and Personal care.

Skilled Medical care includes services of trained professionals that are needed for a limited period of time following an injury or illness

An RN doing wound care and changing dressings after a major surgery, or administering antibiotics for a severe infection
A Physical Therapist helping to correct strength and balance problems that have made it difficult for a patient to walk or get on and off the bed, toilet or furniture.
A Speech Therapist helping a person regain the ability to communicate after a stroke.
An Occupational Therapist helping a person re-learn independent self-care in areas such as dressing, grooming and eating.

Skilled care may also be needed on a long term basis for some residents depending on diagnosis.

Personal care includes assistance with what are known as the activities of daily living such as:

Bathing
Dressing
Eating
Grooming
Getting in and out of bed, or walking around
Toileting (incontinence care)

People who are able to recover from a disabling injury or illness, may temporarily need the custodial care as they are getting back the strength and balance to be independent again (Rebound! to home program).

For people who are losing their ability to function independently due to chronic disease and increasing frailty, personal care may be a long term need. In the most severe cases where a person is bed-bound, ongoing supervision by an RN is necessary along with the personal care, to ensure proper hydration and nutrition and to prevent skin breakdown. If a personal care Resident becomes ill or injured, they may spend a period of time in skilled care, and then return to personal care. Whether a Resident is under skilled or personal care is important in terms of who provides the care and who pays for the services provided.

Most medical insurance coverage follows Medicare guidelines. Private insurance and Medicare pay for nursing home care only for limited time periods following a hospitalization:

You must have been hospitalized for at least 3 days.
You must enter the nursing home within 30 days of the hospitalization
Only the first 20 days are 100% covered; then there is a daily deductible
There’s a 100-day maximum related to any one hospitalization and diagnosis.
You must be making regular progress as documented by medical professionals. If progress toward independence is no longer occurring, insurance coverage ends.

While you are receiving Skilled care, or Rehabilitation, the nursing home will provide any needed personal care along with the professional services, and Medicare pays. If you have a supplemental insurance it may cover deductibles and some other charges. However, if you reach the point where Medicare will no longer pay, but you still need to be receiving the daily services of the Arthur Home, you must bear the cost of the care. For many people this means drawing down savings, sometimes to the point where your assets are mostly depleted, and then you may qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid will then start paying for the long-term care in the Arthur Home.

Each Senior’s need for care or assistance is unique. Some individuals may have a short term need, perhaps caused by a fall and a broken hip, which necessitates a brief hospitalization followed by our Rebound! to home program. After a one or two month stay at the Arthur Home, the senior may be able to return home and continue receiving some services such as physical therapy from a home health care agency, if necessary. If the Senior is not comfortable in returning home right away, they may qualify for a stay in Eberhardt Village Assisted Living, until they are able to safely return home.

Other people have more long term needs, possibly due to Alzheimer’s, extreme frailty, or a stroke. In this case, care is necessary on an ongoing basis.

A Skilled Nursing Facility is for an individual who meets one or more of the following criteria:

Cannot take care of themselves because of physical, emotional, or mental problems;
Can no longer care for their own personal needs, such as eating, bathing, using the toilet, moving around, or taking medications (Personal care);
Requires more care than can be provided by their caregiver, and cannot live alone;
Might wander away if unsupervised;
Has extensive medical needs requiring daily attention or monitoring by an RN
Is going to be discharged from the hospital and requires temporary Skilled Nursing care or Rehabilitation before returning home or to a residential facility;
Has been recommended to the Arthur Home.