Are there differences between a nursing home and a skilled nursing facility?
The term nursing home is a widely used and often misunderstood term. It has been used to describe anything from a rest home to an acute care hospital. Nursing homes are primarily designed to meet the needs of persons convalescing from illness or to provide long-term nursing care for persons with chronic medical problems. A nursing home is not a hospital and does not provide the acute care found in a hospital setting. The goal of nursing home care is to provide care and treatment to restore or maintain the patient s highest level of physical, mental and social well being. The term skilled nursing refers to a facility that is required to provide continuous (24 hour) nursing supervision.
