Nursing facilities and skilled care
Nursing facilities (often called nursing homes) provide a mix of medical care, rehabilitation, and help with daily activities. Some stays are short-term for recovery; others are long-term when ongoing support is required.
Short-term rehab versus long-term placement
It helps to separate two very different situations that often get lumped together:
- Short-term rehabilitation – often after a hospital stay, focused on recovery and returning home. Sometimes covered by Medicare for limited periods when criteria are met.
- Long-term custodial care – ongoing residence when someone needs daily help with many activities and cannot safely live elsewhere.
Different funding sources and rules can apply to each type of stay, even within the same building. That’s one reason bills and coverage can feel confusing.
Using public ratings and reports
In the United States, facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid are usually listed on federal and state websites with:
- Overall star ratings and sub-scores (staffing, health inspections, quality measures).
- Inspection reports and citations.
- Ownership information and sometimes staffing levels.
These resources are useful but imperfect. They can lag behind current conditions and don’t capture everything about daily life in a facility. They work best when combined with visits, conversations, and ongoing observation.
Questions to ask facilities
When you visit or call, questions like these can help:
- “What kinds of residents tend to do well here?”
- “How do you handle changes in condition or behavior?”
- “What does staffing look like on nights and weekends?”
- “How do you communicate with families about concerns or incidents?”
You can pair this page with the Tools and Facility Insights sections to build a clearer picture of specific facilities you are evaluating.
This page is for orientation and education. It does not provide medical care, diagnosis, treatment, legal advice, financial planning, tax guidance, or insurance brokerage. Facility choices should be made with licensed professionals and based on your specific situation and local rules.