Information About Choosing The Right Care for You


The following are some common questions people ask about skilled nursing care and about our facilities. We’re pleased to provide the answers below. If you have questions regarding BaneCare in specific or skilled nursing care in general, we’d enjoy hearing from you. Email your questions to BaneCare.

Admissions Application - click to download 

What does a typical day in rehab look like? 

What factors should I consider when choosing a nursing facility or assisted living residence? 
 

How will I know when I or someone I love requires nursing care?
 

Who pays for skilled nursing care? 
 

How do residents spend their days? 

Q. What does a typical day in rehab look like?

A typical day for patients and residents on our rehab units will be spent assessing your current status and setting rehab goals. Most patients have skilled therapy a few hours each day, 5-7 days per week (based on medical diagnosis and medical stability). The occupational therapist may also work with you a few days each week to focus on your goals related to self-care and activities of daily living.

You will visit the therapy gym most days to focus on strengthening and mobility to help you regain your baseline level of function with both PT and OT.  The gym is a fun place to work with your therapists as you are cheered on by others and you can encourage your peers as well.  You will quickly feel like part of the “family”!  Some patients also have speech therapy to focus on swallowing function, speech, language, voice, and memory and thinking skills as well.

Q. What factors should I consider when choosing a nursing facility or assisted living residence? 

Certainly, you will want to look at cleanliness, gauge the warmth of the environment, and assess building comfort. But, there are other important intangibles to consider. You should look carefully at the leadership of the facility. Are they people to whom you would entrust the care of your loved one? Try to evaluate the staff. Feel free to speak with nurses and other staff members directly. Ask to sample one of the meals. Use your eyes, your ears, and your own voice when visiting a facility. 

Q. How will I know when I or someone I love requires nursing care? 

We find that many of our residents wish they had actually come to stay with us sooner. Whether for assistance in bathing and dressing, administration of daily medications, help with personal hygiene or even simple issues of continence, a skilled nursing home can be the answer to a senior's residential and health care needs. Isolated, lonely individuals also appreciate the socialization and activities that nursing facilities offer. 

Q. Who pays for skilled nursing care? 

This is always an important question. There are several sources of payment.

Medicare: This federally funded insurance program pays for up to 100 days of skilled nursing care (with a set daily co-insurance rate starting on day 21).  Eligibility is based strictly on medical need and technical requirements; the criteria for which is specific and rigorous. Our experience is that a new resident may receive anywhere from 14 to 50 days of Medicare eligibility. At BaneCare Residences, we always try to maximize the Medicare benefit for our residents. 

Managed Care: There are many types of Managed Care plans, such as a Commercial plan, a Medicare replacement plan, an employer group plan, etc.  The coverage details can be found in your plan documents.  Most of these require a co-payment.

After insurance eligibility has been utilized, the next payment source is either Private Pay or Medicaid. Essentially, a resident will pay privately unless they have qualified for Medicaid. Medicaid is a state-funded program, which can be used if a resident has exhausted his or her resources. In effect, Medicaid is the payer of last resort.  Medicaid requires a monthly payment from the resident called the “Patient Paid Amount” (PPA).

In addition, some of our residents use their Long-Term Care insurance benefits to pay for their care. 

Private payment for co-insurance, co-payments, room and Board and Medicaid PPAs may be paid by check, credit card or authorized ACH withdrawals.   

Each resident's situation is different and can be very complicated. Our admissions directors and counselors are well versed in assisting our residents and their families in the intricacies of payment. 

Q. How do residents spend their days? 

Depending on their abilities, residents can participate in a wide range of therapeutic activities. We offer an array of entertainment, games, excercises, and social activiteis in each of our centers. For those residents who are unable to participate in group activities, we take special care to provide one-on-one activity programming to meet each of our guest's individual needs.