Submitted on Thursday July 5th, 2012
A "nursing home" or "skilled nursing facility" (SNF) used to be the only option for care outside the hospital. That is no longer the case. Care in a SNF (pronounced "sniff") is highly specialized. It's also expensive.
Skilled nursing facilities provide mostly short-term nursing or rehabilitation services. The typical patient has just been discharged from the hospital. But he or she still needs additional medical care daily before returning home. This might be your relative recovering from a planned surgery. Or from a sudden crisis, such as a hip fracture or serious infection.
Nurses and other medical professionals are available around the clock. They provide skilled services, such as
- planning and managing care;