A nursing home is a licensed residential facility that provides nursing care and supervision 24 hours a day for people who can no longer be cared for safely at home or in assisted living. Residents typically need help with most daily activities and have ongoing medical conditions that require regular attention from nurses. Many nursing homes also provide short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation after a hospital stay.
Who nursing homes are for
People with significant physical frailty, advanced dementia, serious chronic illness or disability, or those recovering from a major medical event who are unlikely to return to independent living. A physician's assessment is normally needed for admission and determines the level of care required.
What care includes
Nursing homes provide a room, meals adapted to medical needs, help with bathing, dressing, eating and mobility, medication administration, wound and continence care, and access to physicians, therapists, dietitians and social workers. Activities and social programmes are offered, and many homes have a secure memory care unit. Each resident has a written care plan reviewed by the care team and family.
Nursing homes, skilled nursing and assisted living
The terms overlap. Skilled nursing describes the medical level of care given by licensed staff, usually for a short rehabilitation stay. A nursing home may offer that alongside long-term custodial care. Assisted living provides help with daily tasks in a residential setting but does not offer daily nursing care.
Paying for a nursing home
Long-term nursing home care is one of the most expensive forms of senior care. Medicare covers only short-term skilled care after a qualifying hospital stay, not long-term custodial care. Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term nursing home care in the United States for residents who meet its income and asset limits, and most nursing homes accept it. Families otherwise pay privately or through long-term care insurance; veterans may have additional options.
Choosing a nursing home
Compare Medicare star ratings and state inspection reports, ask about nurse and aide staffing on each shift, turnover, how falls and infections are prevented, and how the home involves families. Visit more than once, at different times of day. The pages on this site list nursing homes by state and city so you can compare the options near you.