If your loved one is on the road to recovery after surgery or illness, you might be exploring ways to help them heal. A convalescent home is a place that provides trained medical staff who can support your loved one. This article explores how a convalescent home works, when this type of facility might make sense, and how you can help your loved one heal here.
What is a Convalescent Home?
A convalescent home is a facility that cares for a person while they recover from surgery or illness. For example, an older adult might spend several weeks in a convalescent home recovering from hip surgery. Or a child with special needs who has been sick could benefit from rest at a convalescent home.
Convalescent homes also go by other names, including:
At these locations, qualified nurses with in-depth medical training care for people who need help recuperating. For families unable to provide around-the-clock care at home or who might need extra support, a convalescent home can help.
What Services Do Convalescent Homes Provide?
Because convalescent homes provide 24/7 care, they can support your loved one in many ways. The focus is healing your loved one so they can improve and return home, so most services are focused on health care. These might include:
Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Managing and giving prescription medication
Giving nursing support
Providing therapy services, including physical, occupational, or speech
Offering optional private-duty nursing
Creating a comfortable living environment that could include amenities such as rooms that are semi-private, furniture including a phone or a TV, and personal care items such as toothpaste and razors
Ask the convalescent home you’re considering for a complete list of services. You can also ask for details on how they charge for those services, which are included automatically as part of your loved one’s stay, and which will cost extra.
How Can I Find a Convalescent Home Near Me?
The official Medicare website provides a search function that lets you find convalescent homes near you or your loved one. All you need to do is visit the Medicare search page and:
Type your address, ZIP code, or city into the appropriate box
Click the dropdown menu under Provider Type and select Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
Click the Search button
You will be redirected to a new page that lists available skilled nursing in your area. In addition, some state health departments offer their own resources for residents. You can learn more with a quick online search.
How Do I Pay For a Convalescent Home?
There are several popular ways to cover the costs of a convalescent home. Among them are:
Medicaid: This program covers certain skilled nursing help for qualifying patients at licensed nursing homes. This includes coverage for some personal care items, help with meals and dental care, medication support, and more.
Medicare: This government program offers coverage for a variety of services that convalescent homes provide.
Part A can be used if your loved one’s doctor provides written documentation that their condition requires rehab. In these cases, your doctor and the staff of your chosen convalescent home collaborate to help your loved one heal.
Part B can cover qualified expenses your loved one might incur in the rehab center itself. However, be aware there are certain things Medicare won’t cover, such as a dedicated private nurse to help your loved one or extra fees a convalescent home might charge for personal care products or access to a TV. You can review the financial amount of coverage Medicare will provide on its website.
Private insurance: If your loved one has private insurance, there might be opportunities to apply it toward expenses at a convalescent home.
Savings: If your loved one has savings set aside for medical expenses, you can use these to cover some or all of the cost.
What’s The Difference Between a Nursing Home and a Convalescent Home?
The primary difference between a nursing home and a convalescent home is the length of your loved one’s stay. A convalescent home provides care from trained nurses to help your loved one get better so they can return home. Stays can range from a few days to a month.
On the other hand, a nursing home might be a place where your loved one stays for months or even years. It might be a permanent residence, unlike a convalescent home, which is meant to be temporary. Both types of facilities benefit from the talents of skilled nurses who work to help your loved one heal and maintain good health.
Where Can I Learn More About Convalescent Homes?
You can learn more about the types of care available for your loved one after illness or surgery from the National Institute on Aging. Additionally, you can read up on ways to help your loved one stay healthy and avoid colds and the flu. By doing your research, you can ensure your loved one goes to the right convalescent home to get the rest and care they need to recover.
FAQs
Because convalescent homes provide 24/7 care, they can support your loved one in many ways. The focus is healing your loved one so they can improve and return home, so most services are focused on health care. These might include: Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What is the meaning of convalescent home? ›
Convalescent homes, commonly called Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, are designed to provide care for senior patients who are recovering from surgeries or long-term illnesses. While some patients return home after their care at a convalescent home is complete, there are many patients who do not.
How do you know when your loved one is ready for assisted living? ›
Unable to Handle Daily Life Activities
If a family member struggles with housework, cooking, or other daily activities it may be time for a change. Yard work is a big job that often is the first thing they are unable to complete. Don't let them suffer under the weight of too much daily work.
How often should I visit my wife in a nursing home? ›
The frequency of visits should be based on both your loved one's needs and your personal schedule. While once or twice a month may be doable and sufficient for some families and situations, others may need less or more frequent visits.
How do you deal with a loved one in a care home? ›
You may want to focus on having an enjoyable time with the person and spend your time together doing things you enjoy such as listening to music, going through photo albums or playing games. Ask the care home if they have a group for family and friends of residents.
Is a convalescent home the same as a nursing home? ›
You might hear the terms “convalescent home” and “nursing home” used interchangeably, but they are different types of care. The main difference is that a convalescent home provides short-term rehabilitative care, while a nursing home offers long-term skilled nursing care.
What is an example of a convalescent home? ›
Convalescent home means an extended care facility, such as a sanatorium skilled nursing home or a special wing or ward of a hospital which is licensed by the appropriate licensing authority and which provides supervision by registered nurses 24 hours per day.
At what age do most seniors go into assisted living? ›
Seniors over 70 who need assistance with two or more daily activities qualify for assisted living. Here is a breakdown of the average age of seniors in assisted living according to a Consumers Affairs report in 2021: The average age of seniors in assisted living is around 84 years of age. 52% of residents are over 85.
When should I put my mom in a nursing home? ›
Nursing homes can also be a long-term option for seniors who will continue to need help. Consider your loved one's medical needs. If your parent has a chronic or progressive disease, falls frequently, or can no longer eat or perform daily activities on their own, they may be a good candidate for a nursing home.
What is the best age to move to assisted living? ›
When should you start considering this transition? There is no right age for making this transition. Deciding to move into a senior living community is an individual choice, but you might be surprised to know that communities have residents with ages starting at just 62 years old.
Changes, like the inability to care for themselves or frequent falls, may signal that it's time to look at nursing homes. Your loved one may qualify for nursing home care if they're unable to perform activities of daily living on their own, like bathing, eating, or getting in and out of bed.
How often should I visit my elderly mother? ›
Knowing how often to visit is hard and there are no hard and fast rules. It will take some thought to work out what is best for you and your elderly parent. If you're not able to visit as often as you'd like, you can still make them feel important.
How often should you visit a loved one in memory care? ›
You might wonder how often you should visit a dementia patient. Your relationship with your loved one will determine how often you should visit them in memory care. If you're used to seeing them every day or every week, it's a good idea to schedule visits at least once per week.
What a caregiver should not do? ›
10 mistakes senior caregivers should avoid
- Allowing job creep. Private professional senior caregivers are at greater risk of job creep. ...
- Not communicating effectively. ...
- Getting burned out. ...
- Giving into power struggles. ...
- Fearing asking for help. ...
- Doing tasks at random. ...
- Ignoring changes. ...
- Being disorganized.
Caregivers face many no-win situations in which someone they care about is going to feel short-changed or hurt by decisions that must be made. Because caregivers are caring people, they are going to feel guilty about it. And that is normal.
What is the difference between sick and convalescent? ›
The sick and the convalescent: An invalid is a person who is sick. A convalescent is one who is no longer sick but is in the process of gradual recovery after illness.
What happens during the convalescent stage? ›
Convalescence is the period in which the body recovers from a serious illness, injury or surgery. Changes to your lifestyle may be needed to make sure the body has enough time and rest to allow a complete recovery.
Why do convalescent homes smell? ›
Nursing home odors occur in care facilities where the guests tend to have a lot of medical problems and spend a great deal of time in their beds and, as well as having the normal body odors to deal with, will also have more than average food and drink spills, and bodily fluid accidents.
What is the word for convalescent home? ›
Convalescent homes are facilities that provide medical and nursing care to people who are recovering from an illness or injury. The home can be a private residence, or it can be a large building with several rooms and common areas. Convalescent homes can also be called rest homes or extended-care facilities.
