A nursing home provides care to patients recovering from injuries, illnesses, or procedures. The nursing experts evaluate your needs and design a customized care plan to help rebuild your strength. Here is a comparison of long-term versus short-term care in a nursing home:
Primary Goal
The main goal of short-term care in a nursing home is to help residents recover after a medical event. This type of care is temporary, with a focus on rehabilitation and improvement. Services like occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy are central to short-term care. They help restore functionality, mobility, and daily living skills.
With long-term care, nurses seek to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from chronic conditions. Professionals provide patients with continuous care and support for daily living activities. Provides help keep patients comfortable and offer assistance with medications and daily hygiene.
Stay Duration
Short-term care lasts a few days, weeks, or months, depending on a patient’s recovery needs. With long-term care, the duration of stay for patients is often indefinite. It can last for years or the remainder of a person’s life. Unlike short-term care, long-term care has no recovery expectation that would allow a patient to return home.
Care Intensity
During short-term care, health practitioners provide intensive medical and therapeutic services aimed at recovery. They structure their services in a goal-oriented manner while tracking recovery progress over weeks or months. In long-term care, professionals provide treatments to maintain a patient’s stability and quality of life. They help patients eat, bathe, dress, or move around. The nursing home becomes the patient’s permanent residence, where they are able to access physical and emotional support.
Recovery Pace
The recovery pace of a patient during short-term care can be faster due to the focused rehabilitation treatments. Long-term care has a much slower recovery pace due to its focus on stability rather than rapid progress. A patient in long-term care may have a chronic condition that hinders their ability to recover fully. Instead of intensive therapy, nurses manage ongoing health issues. They may provide therapy less frequently to prevent discomfort or a further decline in patient health.
Family Involvement
Family involvement in short-term care focuses on helping patients to transition back home. The doctor informs the patient’s family members about their progress and future needs. Family members may need to attend therapy sessions to learn how to support their loved one’s recovery at home. In long-term care, family involvement focuses more on improving the patient’s quality of life. Since the patient cannot live independently, their family is able to visit them as often as possible to provide support and companionship. Family members further participate in social activities that the nursing home organizes to enrich the patient’s experience.
Discharge Planning
In short-term care, doctors organize discharge planning from the start. They create a detailed plan that includes follow-up appointments, medical management, and support services. In long-term care settings, discharge planning is organized only when a patient’s condition improves. If discharge planning occurs in long-term care, it needs extensive coordination with external caregivers.
Learn More About Nursing Home Services
A nursing home provides skilled therapies and treatments to patients under the advisement of therapists, nutritionists, and physicians. They create customized meals to support your overall health during short-and long-term care. Contact a reputable rehab and extended care facility for more information about their services.
