Avoid Long-Term Nursing Homes

Nursing home services, and admissions, are expected to rise exponentially in the coming years as more and more adults reach the age of retirement and require long-term medical services. If you are concerned about your risk for being admitted into a nursing home for long-term care, it may be prudent to avoid a skilled nursing facility when an illness or injury arises and, instead, try to recover at home for ideal outcomes.

What Research Shows
In a study published in the Journals of Gerontology, it has been found that older adults, when hospitalized and then transferred to a skilled nursing facility, are at the greatest risk for being admitted, long-term, into a nursing home. The transition from hospital to skilled nursing facility, therefore, seems to pose the greatest risk to elderly adults by inhibiting their ability to continue living independently as long as possible.

Skilled Nursing Facility Alternatives
Understanding this risk to elderly adults, caretakers should take special precautions, and steps, to find ways in which to provide alternative care in lieu of step-down into a skilled nursing facility. The most effective option for older adults would be to ensure at-home care is made available by way of home health aides, home health nurses and even general house care. Beyond this, you may also consider assisted living facilities or transition into a community residence that does not provide nursing services.

Medicare's Role
Because Medicare is quite limited in the payments of services for our older population, many families struggle to balance the right healthcare with the treatment and risks of long-term admissions. Medicare, as of today's printing, will cover 100 percent of a 20 admission to a skilled nursing facility whereas at-home care is typically not covered or only payable with Medi-gap coverage, coverage under Part B of Medicare, or payment of co-pays. From a cost benefit analysis, it would seem, then, that a skilled nursing facility is the preferred method of care.

When caring for an aging parent, or when concerned about your own healthcare in the long-term, it is important to understand what impact your health, home care options, and insurance programs will have upon your choice of treatments. If you desire to avoid long-term nursing home care, and lose of independence, then the ideal choice is to avoid the use of skilled nursing facilities. It is, however, an unfortunate insight that many health insurance payers, including Medicare, would prefer to pay for the skilled nursing. This dilemma poses a risk for many older adults and creates a quandary when determining how to proceed with care after hospitalization.

Sources:
http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/66A/12/1321.full.pdf+html
http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10153.pdf
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/idUS14302+12-Apr-2011+PRN20110412