What is a Convalescent Home?

If you or a loved one has just had a major medical event, like an illness or operation, you might be searching for options to help you transition out of the hospital and back into their own home.

Let's start with the basics. There are a few different kinds of facilities that are often used in the context of providing sustained medical care for individuals. You may hear people talk about a 'nursing home', 'convalescent home' or even a 'skilled nursing facility (SNF).' While all three are some type of inpatient rehabilitation facility, each community offers distinct types of care, services and recovery options. Read on to learn more about the similarities, and differences, between services offered in these three distinct types of care settings.

A convalescent home plays a vital role in healthcare, especially for older adults. Convalescent homes provide personalized, in-depth therapeutic care and medical assistance for individuals recovering from surgery, illness, or injury.

Here are some specific features that you'll find in a convalescent home:

• Long-Term Care: Like nursing homes or skilled nursing communities, convalescent homes are usually designed for long-term rehabilitation.
• Medical Supervision: As patients in convalescent homes are in a recovery phase, they need medical oversight and nursing care. The goal emphasizes sustainable recovery and preventing the likelihood of re-hospitalization.
• Support Services: Apart from medical care and rehabilitation, convalescent homes often provide auxiliary services such as dietary planning, recreational activities, and social services.

A note about inpatient rehabilitation facilities

You my also hear members of the medical community refer to an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF). IRFs are essentially the same as convalescent homes, and work to improve functionality and independence through rehabilitative services, guiding patients towards a successful transition back to their daily life or an extended care environment.

• 24/7 skilled nursing care: Registered nurses ensure consistent daily care by administering medication, monitoring vital signs, preparing and giving injections, and providing other needed medical care.
• Rehabilitation services: Physical therapy helps regain strength and mobility, occupational therapy promotes the relearning of daily activities, while speech therapy helps patients regain their speech and cognitive abilities.
• Post-surgical care: Post-surgical care in a convalescent home revolves around timely medication, wound dressing, physiotherapy, and frequent health check-ups, supplementing the healing process.
• Respiratory Therapy: Specialized treatment is provided for patients suffering from lung and heart conditions.
• Nutritional Support: Convalescent homes provide carefully planned and monitored meals to maintain the patient's nutritional health.
• Social Services: Social and recreational activities are organized to keep patients engaged and foster a sense of community.
• Palliative and Hospice Care: This special type of care is designed to relieve the symptoms and emotional distress associated with chronic or terminal illnesses.
• Diagnostic Services: Regular medical assessment and monitoring help in keeping track of a patient's health status.
• Case Management: This involves coordinating all aspects of patient care including scheduling appointments with doctors, liaising with other healthcare professionals, managing medication, and communicating with the family about the patient's progress.
• Personal Care Assistance: For patients who have difficulty performing daily tasks, assistance is provided. This involves help with hygiene maintenance like bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, and mobility assistance.
• Medical Transportation: This service ensures patients have access to off-site medical appointments and can be transported rapidly in case of emergencies. It takes care of the logistics, so patients and their families don’t have to worry about it.

In general, convalescent homes and skilled nursing facilities provide the same type of care. They both cater to individuals primarily needing help with recovery after hospitalization for a surgery or severe illness. They provide basic medical care, including the support of physical, speech, and occupational therapists, along with assistance with daily activities.

They are both designed for people with serious, ongoing health conditions or long term illnesses that require constant skilled nursing care. These facilities provide 24-hour supervision, a wide range of healthcare services including rehabilitation programs, and a higher level of nursing care. A stay at a skilled nursing facility can be permanent for those who are unable to care for themselves at home due to the severity of their health issues, and are generally best suited for individuals whose medical needs are acute.

However, a skilled nursing facility may also provide very short term care for individuals recovering from an illness or surgery, but who will soon be capable of returning to their prior living environment.

In fact, a nursing home is simply another term used for skilled nursing. Nursing homes are inpatient rehabilitation facilities that offer round-the-clock care and assistance with daily activities to individuals who cannot live independently due to chronic illnesses, disabilities, or age-related issues. Like skilled nursing facilities, a nursing home is best suited for individuals who need long-term, medically intensive care and support.

Essentially, a convalescent home, nursing home and skilled nursing facility all refer to the same type of care, but skilled nursing is generally accepted as the more modern term by the senior living and medical industries.

Convalescent homes (sometimes called skilled nursing facilities or rehabilitation centers) and assisted living facilities serve very different purposes for older adults and their family members.

Convalescent homes are meant for individuals who require medical attention, skilled care and therapeutic services for a period due to illness, surgery, or injury. They facilitate recovery and rehabilitation under the supervision of licensed medical professionals.

On the other hand, an assisted living facility is designed for older adults who may struggle with daily tasks but are overall fairly independent. These communities offer help with activities of daily living (ADL) like medication management, housekeeping, meal preparation, and personal care tasks, but do not typically provide extensive medical treatment. Assisted living's primarily function of assisted living is to maximize independent living while providing safety and convenience.

In a convalescent home, residents are taken care of by dedicated staff. These staff members are medical professionals and administrators focused on helping patients return home safely.

• Nurses: Registered nurses form the backbone of any convalescent home, providing round-the-clock care, administering medications, monitoring health progress and working closely with doctors to implement the best care plan for every patient. They often develop close relationships with patients and their families and act as the primary liaison for concerns.
• Care Aides: They are integral employees who provide day-to-day personal care to patients. As in an assisted living facility, their tasks tend to support activities of daily living, and can range from assisting with bathing and dressing to meal preparation and feeding.
• Physical Therapists: As many patients are recovering from physical traumas or issues related to the normal aging experience, physical therapists work to help patients regain their strength and mobility.
• Social Workers: They help patients and their families navigate the complexities of their care. They assist with managing financial issues, dealing with legal matters, coordinating home care services if needed, and offer counseling support.
• Dietitians: Given the different health conditions in a convalescent home, a registered dietitian will help create a nutrition plan suitable for each resident's needs.
• Recreational Therapists: They play a critical role in maintaining the mental wellbeing of patients. By arranging different recreational activities tailored to the individuals' interests and capacities, they help enhance the quality of life.
• Administrators: They oversee the functioning of the convalescent home, manage staff, communicate with families, and ensure compliance with regulations, ensuring the facility runs smoothly and efficiently.

Convalescent care can be funded in several ways. Many individuals cover the costs through personal savings or the help of their families, while some rely on long-term care insurance that they've purchased specifically for such scenarios.

Additionally, government programs like Medicaid can assist with the costs, especially for those who have depleted their savings, though eligibility for this assistance varies by the rules of each state. Medicare can cover a portion of the expenses, but only for a limited time after a hospital stay. There are also life insurance death benefits and pension plans, which individuals may tap into to afford the costs, or for veterans, benefits from the Veteran’s Administration.

Convalescent homes, nursing homes, and skilled nursing facilities are terminologies often used interchangeably, and for the most part, mean the same thing. Convalescent homes provide round-the-clock, specialized medical attention for severe chronic conditions or rehabilitation after surgical procedures, provided by trained healthcare professionals.