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Nursing Homes

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. There might be a nurses' station on each floor. Other nursing homes try to be more like home. They try to have a neighborhood feel. Often, they don't have a fixed day-to-day schedule, and kitchens might be open to residents. Staff members are encouraged to develop relationships with residents.

Some nursing homes have special care units for people with serious memory problems such as Alzheimer's disease. Some will let couples live together. Nursing homes are not only for the elderly, but for anyone who requires 24-hour care.

National Institute on Aging

Nursing Home on Wikipedia

A '''nursing home''' is a place of residence for people who require constant medical care. Usually the residents are elderly, but the term can apply to places of care for the mentally or physically ill. In America, nursing homes are required to have a licensed nurse on duty 24 hours a day, and during at least one shift each day, one of those nurses must be a Registered Nurse.

Similar facilities

What is a nursing home not? A hospital is not a residence, but is a place where people require constant medical care. A retirement home is a residence, but requires non-constant medical care. An assisted living facility does have some similarities to a nursing home; however, a nursing home's patients need more intensive care than residents in an assisted living facility. A long term care facility (LTCF) is a generic term for long-term residents requiring some form of assistance. LTCF is commonly used within a medical context. People in nursing homes generally live in double occupancy rooms. There is usually a nursing station in each hallway of a nursing home for the registered nurses who monitor resident health and administer medications. Nurse's aides play a key role maintaining residents' hygiene. A housekeeping staff in a nursing home is responsible for ensuring that the rooms, beds, towels, bathrooms, and other facilities are kept sanitary. Physical therapists and occupational therapists attempt to help the residence regain certain abilities. Social workers help with personal issues such as billing and transitions back to the home environment. In the United States, Medicare reimburses an elderly person for nursing home stays for rehabilitation purposes after the elderly person has been in the hospital for three days or more days. There is a co-payment requirement for the first 21 days of the stay. Once the person has gotten as well as the nursing home staff believes she will get, Medicare no longer reimburses. Medicare ...   [ Read More ]


External Resources

Royal Variety Performance - Main source of funding for the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, and Brinsworth House, a residential and nursing home for retired members of the entertainment profession.

Last Call: Faces of Alcoholism - A portrait of alcoholism by photographer Mark Peterson, featuring residents of the Queens nursing home in Minneapolis. [requires Shockwave]

Willis, John - Showcases images of aging people in nursing homes, babies, underwater scenes, the remains of a State Hospital for the Insane, and found still life photographs. Includes artist statement, biography, and a list of exhibitions.

Warming Families Across Oregon - Contact information to find out where to send handmade items for homeless shelters, nursing homes, and domestic violence shelters in Oregon.

Jackie Wilson's Lonely Tears - Article by Bill Pollak from the Village Voice, about the legal cases over his care and royalties while he was a vegetable in a nursing home.

Satter, Marlene - Harp's Desire - Marlene Satter, a hospital-certified harp practitioner trained at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Hamilton, NJ, plays at the bedside in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices, and also for more joyous occasions, such as parties, weddings, and formal or corporate events.

Rossington Male Voice Choir - The choir performs at nursing homes, churches, weddings, anniversaries, funerals and schools. Doncaster, S. Yorkshire, England.

Celebration Singers and Children's Chorus - A choral group of mixed-voice singers giving concerts at nursing homes, hospitals, and senior citizens centers, based in Cranford. History, bios of musical directors, concert schedule.

Swansea Community Band - Fall River, MA: Performs at nursing homes, festivals, and public gatherings. Presents information on

Dixie Hollow Bluegrass Band - This bluegrass band is dedicated to taking good bluegrass gospel music and good clean fun to nursing homes, retirement centers and wherever it is needed. Biographies, photos, schedule.



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