Nursing Homes
Nursing homes (also known as skilled nursing facilities) provide housing, meals, skilled and intensive medical care, personal care, social services, and social activities to people who have physical or behavioral conditions that prevent them from living alone. Medicare and private insurance typically cover short term nursing home stays for skilled care needs, but they do not cover long term stays. Cost of care in one of California’s 1,300 nursing facilities averages $6,600 per month, but is often covered by indigent care programs such as Medi-Cal.
Care in these facilities ranges from personal assistance and limited nursing care for ambulatory residents to 24-hour skilled medical care to accommodate the seriously ill, either based in a hospital or independently operated facility. Nursing homes with this type of intensive care are often the best option for people with debilitating illnesses or physical or mental limitations that require monitoring and care from medical experts.