Skilled Nursing Facilities
a.k.a. “(Short Term) Rehab”
Main Value: Insurance-covered therapy and rehabilitation
For people who:
Are temporarily recovering from an illness or trauma.
Require direct nursing services 24/7.
Potential Downsides:
Institutional atmosphere.
Many SNFs are often under pressure to rotate patients quickly.
Poor staffing ratios.
Price Range: Medicare Part A covers the cost up to 120 days.
Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) provide your Kupuna with a much needed intermediary step between discharge from a hospital and returning home or to a residential environment. Patients who suffered acute illnesses are often referred to skilled nursing facilities to receive physical/occupational/speech therapy and other rehabilitative services. SNF are staffed with physicians, nurses, and caregivers, and with the exception of Home Health, there are no other alternatives that provide that level of expertise. Furthermore, skilled nursing services are covered by Medicare with generally no out of pocket expense to the patient.
But the clinical environment of an SNF can be stressful and unpleasant, and unfortunately because of the setting, some patients experience pessimistic emotions toward their rehabilitation and even additional health complications other than the condition that caused their stay in the first place. This is generally a function of low caregiver to patient ratios at nursing facilities.
It is not uncommon that some people are caught off-guard when they expect to be entitled to the full 100-120 days’ of Medicare-covered nursing services, but then their rehabilitation reaches a “plateau.” It is at that point when the nursing facility deems that no further improvement can be made for the patient’s rehabilitation, and the facility cannot justifiably seek reimbursement for their services from Medicare or other health insurance providers. The most organized of SNF are able to provide advance notice to patients and their families that the rehabilitation plateau is approaching. Some SNF are open to allowing the patient to stay on a private-pay basis, as an Intermediate (Nursing) Care patient.
If your Kupuna needs nursing rehab but can be accommodated at home, consider Home Health.
Would you like to be paired with Skilled Nursing Facilities? Kupuna Care Pair can help you! Click here to schedule a free consultation.
** The above statements are shared with permission from Caring Manoa, LLC’s Elderly Care Options in Hawaii guide. The statements are for informational purposes only and are in no way meant to be used for medical or legal advice, or for case management purposes. Pricing and availability figures may not be most up to date, but can provide a ball park approximation.