When it comes to long-term care, choosing the right type of care is critical to ensuring a successful transition for both patients and their families. You may be deciding from a nursing home, an assisted living center, a rehabilitation center, or other senior care services.
In this blog, you’ll learn about the differences between nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. This information will prepare you to make the best decision on which is the most appropriate option for you or your loved one.
A nursing home is a facility that provides long-term personal and/or nursing care for those who can no longer care properly for themselves. They often fall into two categories; public and private.
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Nursing homes are a convenient and widely available option if you or your loved one need extended or permanent care and assistance. They can range from semi-assisted to full long-term nursing care, depending on the facility you choose. Patients and their families must consider what their budget and insurance coverage will allow, and they must understand that each facility is unique in what it offers.
A rehabilitation center is a facility, also public or private, that provides therapy and training for rehabilitation. As such, this type of facility will offer physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Each facility is different and some may also provide specialized treatments as well.
Much like with nursing homes, there is a private sector for rehab centers and a public sector.
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The main issue is deciding whether or not a rehab center is going to give you the sort of care you need and whether it’s the right choice.
When it comes to rehabilitation, especially in-patient rehab, it is usually a rehabilitation facility that receives the patient, as compared to a nursing home. Bedridden patients who may have suffered a traumatic brain injury, the effects of a long-term terminal, or debilitating illness, will often need therapy that a nursing home may not be able to provide.
With that being said, nursing homes will take people who’ve suffered from a debilitating disease. However, they are most likely to accept patients who won’t transition back to their previous daily routine. While nursing homes are looking for patients who need long-term or end-of-life care, rehabilitation centers are focused on helping residents transition back to their everyday lives.
In some cases, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers work together. A patient may start in a rehab center and transition into a nursing home. Sometimes, they go to a rehab center after a stay at a nursing home and then eventually transition back to the nursing home. Some facilities know the benefits of both institutions. At Knollwood Nursing Center, for instance, we offer both a long-term nursing home facility and an in-patient rehabilitation facility. A patient can transition between the two until it’s determined they can return to their outside, daily life. And if a nursing home is the main goal, they are already accompanied by familiar surroundings, helping them heal and recover that much faster.
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