Differences Between a Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Care

Subject: Nursing
Pages: 2
Words: 400
Reading time:
2 min
Study level: College

Skilled Nurses Facility (SNYF) is a healthcare facility certified to provide healthcare services to members of Medicare. As such, Medicare reimburses SNF once they provide the services. Medicare is a program for retirees who contributed to the program during their term of service. SNFs are ranked highest in terms of the provision of Long Term Care. As such, it provides nursing services on a 24-hour basis for both outpatients and inpatients. An SNF is normally equipped with a registered nurse on duty and a licensed physician on a call. Thus, a Skilled Nursing Facility will offer services that are of extensive care more than what is found in a typical hospital. For instance, in a SNF patients are subject to close monitoring of medication, room, recreational services, 24-hour emergency care, and personal care such as bathing, feeding, dressing, and toilet assistance among others.

Assisted Living Facility (ALF) also known as Residential Care Facilities are meant to provide healthcare services to people living in residential areas. They mostly deal with people living with disabilities who require constant care. In addition to this, the elderly and young adults are also subject to the ALF because of their restricted movement. As such, ALF mostly deals with the provision of physiotherapy services, which are common for the elderly, disabled people, and accident victims among others. Home Care as the name suggests is care given to patients in homes. This is common for the elderly and bedridden patients. Family members who in this case are unskilled are of great significance in this type of care because they are the closest people to the patient. Home care could also involve the services of skilled personnel such as nurses and physicians who could be coming at different time intervals.

Activities Daily Living (ADL) includes the six main activities that a human being does on daily basis, which are eating, dressing, toileting, bathing, transferring, and continence. Most of these activities are learned in childhood. The tax policy of the individual determines the benefits one gets from the listed six. These benefits are covered under the Long Term Care insurance policy. Instrumental Activities Daily Living (IADL) are those activities that one can do without hence not fundamental. They include activities such as paying bills, traveling, and shopping among others. These are only meant to help an individual live independently. Most of these activities are learned in the teenage hood.