When an illness or injury makes it impossible for you or a loved one to live at home, consider nursing homes. These facilities offer room, board, and 24-hour supervision by trained caregivers. To help you select the right place, start with referrals from family physicians and specialists. Ask about the facility’s quality ratings and activities calendar.
Types of Care
Sometimes, an illness or injury makes it necessary to move from a home or assisted living community to a nursing home. But it’s important to understand that this isn’t necessarily a permanent move, and you can often return to your original community after rehabilitative care.
Over 96,000 people live in the historic city of Albany, nearly 13% being 65 or older. The capital of New York State is Albany County, an elderly-friendly community. Additionally, it has several medical facilities that senior citizens might find interesting.
Nursing homes in Albany NY are more comprehensive than other senior housing options, offering custodial and medical care. It may include help with activities of daily living, such as bathing and getting dressed, as well as rehabilitative services, like physical or occupational therapy.
Some nursing homes have a hospital feel, while others have more personal touches and may look more like a neighborhood or mini-community. It’s also important to consider the fees; clearly understand what’s included in the quoted price and what might be extra. Also, find out what governmental financing options are accepted.
Skilled Nursing
Known as nursing homes, these facilities focus on medical care. They’re more likely to treat a person with severe illness or disability and typically offer 24-hour nursing care. They usually have a higher staff-to-resident ratio than home care and assisted living. They also may offer therapies like physiotherapy or speech therapy.
They typically provide three meals daily and help with daily activities, such as dressing or bathing. Visit a nursing home more than once to see how well a loved one fits in and to observe the staff. Take note of how clean the facility is and if there are any odors. Ask about the care plans.
You can find nursing homes on websites that rate them by asking your physician or specialists for recommendations. Your state’s long-term care ombudsperson and advocacy groups for specific conditions can also give you hints. Pay attention to the cost, and consider whether the nursing home has private rooms available.
Memory Care
Many people who go to nursing homes need both ongoing medical care and custodial assistance through the end of their lives. They may also need rehabilitative services after a hospital stay or surgery. Memory care communities are designed to meet the needs of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s, including specialized security features like locked exit doors and enclosed courtyards to prevent wandering. Nursing homes provide the highest level of care outside a hospital.
They offer high-level assisted care from nurses and therapists, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy, medication management, and health monitoring. They also give residents three meals daily and help with daily activities like bathing and dressing.
When evaluating nursing homes, ask about the size of the facility and staff-to-resident ratios. Also, determine whether they follow federal and state standards for quality of care. Also, please find out how they handle medical record transfers between the home and the hospital.
Assisted Living
Harvey is a widower who feels lonely living on his own. He also has health problems like diabetes that require close monitoring and medication management. It doesn’t need round-the-clock medical care but could help with daily tasks, like preparing meals and getting to doctor appointments. He could fit in at an assisted living community.
A nursing home (also known as a skilled nursing facility) is the highest level of care for individuals with long-term needs who have severe disabilities and need around-the-clock medical supervision. They may have a chronic illness, such as congestive heart failure or Alzheimer’s disease, or they might be recovering from surgery or a hospital stay.
They get three meals daily and rehabilitation services like physical or occupational therapy. Ask for recommendations from your family physician or a specialist in geriatrics. You can also check out online resources. When you tour a home, notice how clean the hallways and rooms are and how kindly staff members treat residents.
