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Skilled nursing vs nursing home: what's the difference?

If you’ve been searching for the best nursing home near you, there’s a good chance you’ve been mistakenly searching for the wrong type of care. The term “nursing home” entered our vocabulary sometime after World War II, when physicians realized that patients who needed long-term medical care were better off receiving it outside of hospitals.

As time went on, we started to associate nursing homes with group homes for seniors, but we also developed more degrees of specialization in terms of how we care for older adults. Although many of us will use the term “nursing home” when we refer to senior living in general, few senior communities use the term “nursing home” to describe themselves.

Communities that provide care administered by licensed health professionals will use the term “skilled nursing facility”. And if you’ve already started to explore your options, you may even hear these communities referred to as “SNF’s” (sometimes mistakenly spelled “sniff”) but don’t worry – these are both just abbreviations. So while “nursing home” tends to be a more generic term for senior living communities that provide a higher level of care, a skilled nursing facility is something altogether different.

What is a skilled nursing facility?

SNFs, as we’ll refer to them from now on, deliver the most extensive care available outside of a hospital. This care is provided by registered nurses (RN) and/or licensed practical nurses (LPN), and includes medical treatments and monitoring. These medical treatments may include intravenous therapy, wound care, injections, catheter placement, to name just a few examples. Skilled care may also include services provided by other licensed health professionals, such as respiratory, speech, physical, and occupational therapists. And this is probably far more comprehensive than what you might have been thinking of if you just searched for “nursing home near me.”
Skilled nursing facilities can be a great option if you or your loved one need daily skilled assistance to treat, manage, or observe a condition, and evaluate medical care. They typically offer:

Who benefits from skilled nursing?

Short-term: A SNF helps senior residents recover after a significant health event (such as a stroke or heart attack, or even planned surgery) while also offering a community where they can be with others who share similar experiences.

Long term: SNFs are also wonderful permanent residences for those who have ongoing complex medical care or a chronic medical condition that requires more highly trained staff. Like any other senior living solution, the staff at SNF facilities work hard to build community and engage their residents.

 

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

Sunrise Of Jackson

390 North County Line Road, Jackson, NJ 08527Assisted Living, Memory Care

Living at Sunrise of Jackson has been a good experience. The staff is professional but friendly & caring. During this Covid 19 outbreak, they have

The individual homes available to potential residents in the independent living section of the community might take the form of townhomes, cottages, or studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments. Of course, a CCRC in an urban area might build “up” instead of “out” and have different levels of health care services and amenities on different levels of a high rise.

As we mentioned above, some continuing care retirement communities might cater to particular groups of people. For example, you might find Spanish-speaking CCRCs, a Jewish CCRCs that offer kosher meals, or a CCRC that caters to members of the LGTBQ+ community.

CCRCs might provide transportation and housekeeping services, even to those residents still enjoying the independent side of the complex (though as we explain below, that might cost extra). Activities from exercise classes to speed dating and movie nights can include everyone from different parts of the community. 

Support to help families spend more quality time together.

Visiting Angels’ dedicated elder care offers valuable support to help families spend more quality time together. At the same time, Visiting Angels provides much-needed respite for family caregivers, reducing their risk of caregiver burnout.

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