Question

Nursing Home and Subacute Care
During the nineteenth and the twentieth century, the term "nursing home" was synonymous with long-term care. Although today the exclusive use of the term "long-term care" is no longer accurate for nursing homes, it continues to remain and will not change easily. However, newer terms such as "nursing facilities" will help clarify the role of specific long-term care organizations and will differentiate them from others in the health care industry.

Subacute care is a relatively new but rapidly growing medical service in the continuum of care. Today, it is considered the fastest growing segment of the health care delivery system.

Research the online references such as EBSCOhost, SocINDEX, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), or PubMed for information on nursing facilities and subacute units and respond to the following questions:

• Do you agree with the change in the terminology of nursing homes to nursing facilities? Why or why not? How do the terms relate with each other?
• What impact does the historical perspective of the nursing home have on the stigma related to the quality of care?
• How were nursing facilities developed? What have been the consequences of the change in terminology? Do you think the change in terminology will impact the quality of care in the future? If yes, how? If no, why?
• What changes do you see nursing homes making in the future in order to keep up with the ever changing needs of the demographics of seniors?
• What are subacute units? How did subacute care emerge? What are the strengths and limitations of the emergence of subacute care in long-term care as related to issues in levels of patients' acuity (various levels of nursing care based on the needs of patients)? Support your answer with relevant examples.
• What is the impact of subacute care on the cost and quality of care? Do you think subacute care needs to be an integral component of hospitals, or should it be an integral part of the long-term care system? Provide a rationale for your answer.

Based on your learning about nursing home care and subacute care, compare their funding, staffing, regulation, and marketing.

Answer 1

Ans) Many nursing facilities are now expanding into the field of subacute care, which serves patients needing complex care or rehabilitation. Subacute care is defined as comprehensive inpatient care designed for someone who has an acute illness, injury or exacerbation of a disease process.

- A nursing home is a place for people who don't need to be in a hospital but can't be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have nursing aides and skilled nurses on hand 24 hours a day. Some nursing homes are set up like a hospital. The staff provides medical care, as well as physical, speech and occupational therapy.

- No, I do not agree with the change in the terminology of nursing homes to nursing facilities. In nursing homes, the primary care giver in nursing homes are certified nurse aide (CNA). This individuals only aide, and are not a skilled professional like nurses. In other words, most of the resident care in nursing facilities is provided by certified nursing assistants, not by skilled, licensed professionals. In a skill nursing facilities, the primary care givers are licensed nurses that are able to administer and manage all types of care.

- Impact that does the historical perspective of the nursing home have on the stigma related to the quality of care as Nursing homes have always played an important role in long-term care of elderly since its beginning. However, the quality of care that nursing homes have been called into question since its beginning too. Nursing homes are well-known for neglecting patients, abusive behaviors, and high prices for low quality care. Most nursing homes are ran by the state or small organizations, and are ran a lower prices than skilled nursing facilities because they can hire less educated individuals. Skilled nursing facilities are having to work extremely hard to prove the reputation of nursing homes wrong. People often still interchange skilled nursing facilities with nursing homes even though they are very different.

Nursing facilities developed & the consequences of the change in terminology.From what I have researched, nursing homes were first brought about during the industrial revolution by churches and women to provide care for widowed and poor elderly women. These homes were not open to the public, and individuals would have to seek approval before being allowed to access care. Nursing homes revolutionized over the years, and during and after the Great Depression need for the elderly became more apparent.