Nursing Homes - Tips for Family Caretakers by Senior-Meals.org

In the past, many people assumed that once an elderly or senior patient entered a senior nursing home, they would never leave. Most of them provided long-term custodial care for patients who could no longer be cared for by family caregivers or home caregivers. Now, only a quarter of patients in senior nursing homes fall under this category. 

Most nursing facility admissions take place after a hospitalization. That is because Medicare will only pay for an average of 23 days of nursing home care. Medicare provides no benefits for long-term stays. Medicare pays just enough to get the patient rehabilitated before sending them home. Also, Medicare does not provide for any level of long-term care, including assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, Section 8 housing or in-home care.

Those without private insurance must often rely on Medicaid, a medical program available to seniors and elderly persons who are on a fixed income. Medicaid only pays for nursing facility stays in designated Medicaid facilities. The patient is required to have at least one roommate and may be sent to an open Medicaid ward within a facility. This is usually short-term stay for those who need rehabilitation after hospitalization.