Skilled Nursing Care Facilities are, as the name implies, places that focus on residents who need continual or even constant medical care; their need for recreational and social activities is less than their need for monitoring, medical supervision, and help 24/7. Skilled nursing homes are places for those who are suffering from debilitating illnesses and are unable to care for themselves.
Think in terms of strokes, Parkinson’s, or dementia. In addition to help with daily living, they need rehabilitation services and
the assistance of a registered nurse and a doctor. At the top end of the scale are nursing homes that take in, for instance, those
suffering from Alzheimer’s and are totally incapable of taking
care of themselves.
These facilities are required by state regulations to offer higher levels of services, particularly of medical services, to their residents. Staff at skilled nursing care facilities will include a doctor or doctors, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses
as well as aides and other staff members. A number of them can handle X-rays, IVs, and pain management programs as well as the services of dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. As an example, they’ll oversee a patient’s ventilator needs and see if the
patient can be rehabilitated to the extent he or she can be taken off a ventilator in consultation with a doctor and a respiratory
therapist as well as with RNs who monitor such a condition continually.
Eric J. Hertz, PC
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers