Nursing Home Residents: Who Needs Skilled Nursing Facility Care?

Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)/Nursing Homes serve older adults requiring:

• ADL Assistance: Bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, eating (dependent or extensive assist).
• Skilled Nursing Needs: Wound care, IV meds, tube feeding, tracheostomy care, complex medication management, rehab therapy (PT/OT/SLP).
• Medical Complexity: Multiple chronic conditions, frequent monitoring, unstable status.
• Cognitive Impairment: Dementia (Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body) with behavioral/safety needs.

Services Provided 24/7

• Licensed nursing (RN/LPN) supervision
• CNA care teams
• Physician/NP oversight
• Rehab therapies
• Meals (therapeutic diets)
• Social activities, transportation

Admission requires physician certification of skilled need (Medicare) or Medicaid level-of-care determination. Alternatives: assisted living, home health, adult day, PACE.