If you or a loved one have been hospitalized and require additional care prior to returning home, your recovery journey may take you to a skilled nursing center, also known as a post-acute care center.
Short-term care at a skilled nursing center is intended to ensure a successful recovery and smooth transition from hospital to home with the tools you need to prevent future complications.
At Prestige Care, while we understand it can be an uncertain time in your life, we are here for you every step of the way to ensure you are receiving the right level of care to achieve your rehabilitation goals. Our highly trained healthcare team is dedicated to ensuring your admission day and post-acute recovery journey is as comfortable as possible.
Pre-Admission
As you are approaching your transfer time from the hospital to a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, you, your family, and your discharge planner will decide the best option for transportation. Your family may decide to take on the task, or a transportation service can be arranged and coordinated with the post-acute care center.
Your hospital doctor will also write orders regarding your plan of care for your short-term stay and works closely with your clinical team to ensure you are receiving the appropriate care you need for an optimal recovery. Depending on your unique medical needs, this may include a modified diet plan, medication management, or a therapy program consisting of physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Arriving at a Skilled Nursing Center
Upon arriving at a skilled nursing center, your onsite clinical team will review your physician’s orders and will meet with you and your family to discuss your care, answer any questions, and help ease your transition. If you have therapy orders, your licensed therapy team will conduct an evaluation and develop a personalized rehabilitation plan for you depending on your care needs. This may include a combination of physical, occupational, or speech therapy. Your therapy team will also work closely with you, your family, and your interdisciplinary team to ensure you are receiving the coinciding care and nutrition you need for a successful recovery.
At Prestige Care, we will work with you, at your pace, every step of the way to help you enhance your recovery and aid your transition from hospital to home. From the moment you arrive at a Prestige Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we will ensure your short-term stay is as comfortable as possible and provide you with the care and resources you need to regain your independence and return to your active lifestyle.
What to Bring
If your loved one is preparing for a post-acute care stay after a hospitalization, it is important to understand which essential items they should bring with them. This may include:
- Health insurance cards
- Advance directives and any other pertinent records (Durable Power of Attorney, Guardianship papers)
- Emergency contact information
- Any splints, braces, orthotics, and customized equipment — like a wheelchair — that you use at home
- Personal items such as glasses, dentures, and hearing aids
- Address book and/or personal phone book
- Cell phone and cell phone charger
While valuables and large amounts of cash should be left at home, you may also consider bringing a few special items that will help make your stay feel more comfortable such as:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Hairbrush
- Makeup
- Pillow
- Activities that you enjoy such as books, games or cards
During your hospitalization, you may have been required to wear a hospital gown or other type of medical garment, whereas at a post-acute care center, it is encouraged to bring your own clothing apparel such as:
- Three to five sets of loose, comfortable clothes that are easy to get into
- Undergarments
- Pajamas and slippers
- Comfortable coat or jacket
- One pair of comfortable walking shoes
You may also be prescribed new medications after your hospital stay so you do not have to worry about bringing your own medications. At Prestige, we work with you and your family to provide you with the information you need upon your arrival including a list of what you should bring with you during your short-term care stay.
Family Participation
Your family is encouraged to stay involved in the discussions with your care team as much as possible. This helps ensure your ongoing recovery and rehabilitation will continue after you have been discharged from our center. Our interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals will coordinate meetings with you and your family members to discuss your goals and plan for discharge.
Visitation
If your loved one requires post-acute care after a hospitalization, you may consider a skilled nursing center in close proximity to family and friends. Many skilled nursing centers offer visitation to ensure family members are able to visit their loved ones while they are recovering. Frequent visitors can give your loved one a sense of support, comfort, and safety.
At Prestige, we understand the importance of spending time with loved ones and encourage frequent visitors during their recovery journey. While we offer flexible visiting hours at many of our skilled nursing centers, they may vary for each location. Contact your loved one’s rehabilitation center to find out about visiting hours.
Physician Services
During your loved one’s post-acute care stay, their initial diagnosis, care program options, and rehabilitation needs will be directed by an attending physician. Although the physician will typically only make periodic visits, they are in constant communication with the onsite skilled nursing team to ensure any medication or treatment updates to your care are being met.
Meals
When a person is discharged from a hospital into a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, they may require a modified or specialized diet to accommodate their unique medical needs. Their dietary team and registered dietitian will take into consideration the variety of nutritional needs for every individual and work closely with the patient, their physician, their clinical/therapy team, and their family to create a personalized meal plan. This will ensure they are receiving the nutrients they require for a complete recovery. While your loved ones’ diet may need to be modified, they are welcome to bring in their own food or meals as long as it is approved by their care team.
Personal Laundry
While your loved one is recovering at a post-acute care center, they may only have a few pieces of personal clothing – depending on their length of stay. Skilled nursing centers often offer complimentary laundry services to help ease the transition from the hospital. While you may also choose to have a family member take care of this task, it is important to ensure laundry is done at least once or twice a week in order to comply with state hygiene regulations.
Your Stay at Prestige Care
At Prestige, we know that a stay at a skilled nursing center can be a big change for both residents and their loved ones. We offer high-quality, compassionate care and the resources needed to help them navigate this transition. While each person’s recovery journey at Prestige is unique to them and based on their individual needs, we can ensure that you will be involved in your care decisions, you will be encouraged to work hard and be as independent as possible, and you will be part of patient and family education. Our residents also receive regular progress reports and evaluations from their physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers to ensure their recovery is on the correct track.
During your stay at a Prestige Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, your recovery journey is measured every step of the way to ensure you are receiving the care you require to achieve your goals and regain your independence. We also provide each person with a complete discharge plan and resources to help prevent the risk of re-hospitalization as you transition back home. Our goal is for our residents to achieve a complete recovery with the tools and resources they need to continue managing their health and improve their independence upon their return home.
