Elder care has improved, allowing nursing homes and assisted living facilities to offer more individualized and comprehensive care. This means that seniors can now receive better quality services tailored to their specific needs.
Various medical programs, therapies, and care standards help elder care professionals meet seniors’ diverse needs. This article will discuss the different types of senior care: short term residency and long-term residency.
What is Short-Term Residency?
Sometimes, a short-term tenure at a nursing home or assisted living is the best way to meet a senior’s healthcare needs. For example, someone who has undergone a hospital stay due to illness and would prefer a little more time to rest and reacclimate to independent living before going home might be a great candidate for a short-term stay.
Someone with a minor or moderate injury that requires therapy to recover would benefit from a short stay. This type of individual is well-suited for a brief period of rehabilitation. They can receive the necessary treatment and support during their stay. This approach can help them improve and regain their health more quickly.
In both cases, a short stay at a nursing home or assisted living facility can be best. The resident’s care plan has a set end date. They are expected to recover enough to go back home and live independently or with help.
What is Long-Term Residency?
Sometimes, living in a nursing home or assisted living facility is the best choice for older people.
Living in a nursing home or assisted living facility can help older adults who have trouble managing their medication. This includes taking the wrong dose or forgetting to take it at all. A long-term stay in one of these facilities may be a beneficial option for them.
Some people have difficulty moving safely at home or in their neighborhood. They also struggle to maintain their nutritional needs in a safe and consistent manner. Having trouble remembering important details in daily life or needing assistance with ongoing domestic tasks like paying bills. These problems can happen gradually or be caused by a serious illness or injury. Recovery may require time and rehabilitation.
For the most part, long-term residency is an appropriate program of care for those who require ongoing assistance or supervision with fulfilling their important daily needs. The road to recovery for a long-term resident is often indefinite, or expected to take months or years.
What Does Long-Term Residency at a Skilled Nursing Facility Look Like?
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), or nursing homes, offer a higher degree of care than assisted living facilities do. Nursing homes take on the responsibility to provide for the resident’s medical, nutritional, hygienic, social, and therapeutic needs.
Moreover, they tend to employ a more robust medical staff, hiring more nurses and doctors overall. Long-term residents or their guardians will typically work with nursing staff to create an individualized care plan. You can change this care plan as the resident’s needs change. This can be done depending on whether they need more or less help than before.
Long-term residents stay in nursing homes for a while, so it’s important to choose a comfortable environment for them.
SNFs used to look like hospitals, but some are now more like homes. They focus on creating a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for residents, moving away from a clinical setting. The household model transforms long clinical hallways and dorms into “neighborhoods.” Private or semi-private rooms are grouped together around shared spaces like living rooms, dining rooms, open kitchens, and lounges.
This model believes in creating a warm and homelike environment. It also encourages activity and social interaction. Additionally, it provides individualized care. These practices are believed to lead to better outcomes for nursing home residents.
Put plainly, a long-term resident will feel better and live better if they receive their care in a place that offers them all the comforts of home.
Who Should Look Into Long-Term Residency?
Any senior of retirement age (typically, 65+) who struggles with meeting their nutritional, medical, or social needs – or who is recovering from an injury or ailment that requires long-term rehabilitation – may benefit from long-term residency. The level of assistance needed will decide if an SNF or assisted living is better. To start the process, speak with your doctor about your long-term medical needs. Additionally, many SNFs and assisted living facilities offer tours to welcome potential residents.
Long-term residency programs have grown and developed alongside the greater elder care industry.
Seniors have more options, and more opportunities for personalized care, than ever before.
When deciding on a care plan, it’s crucial to research and consult healthcare experts for personalized advice. This helps ensure the best program of care for you or your family member.
When long-term residency is the most appropriate choice, it might be helpful to seek out nursing homes built around household models that prioritize the humanity, dignity, and social needs of residents, while offering premier medical care.