Chapter Review on the Nursing Assistant and the Health Care Team

• There are many names for long-term care facilities some of these names are; nursing homes, nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities or extended care facilities



•  The term terminal means the person is expected to die from an illness



•  Chronic means that a patient can live a long time with a particular illness. Chronic conditions include physical disabilities, heart disease, strokes and dementia.



•  While people lived in these kinds of facilities it is considered their home and they are often called a residence.

In some facilities you will often find a wide variety of care some examples would be:

1. Acute-care. Acute-care is 24-hour skilled care for temporary but serious illnesses or injuries.



2.  Skilled care is medically necessary care given by a skilled nurse or therapist



3.  Subacute care. Subacute care can be given in any hospital or any nursing home. The resident needs more care and observation then some all long-term care facilities can provide.



4.  Outpatient care. Outpatient care is usually given for less than 24 hours. It is for people who have had treatments or surgery that need short-term skilled care



5. Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is care given by a specialist. Physical, occupational, and speech therapist restore or improve function after an illness or injury.



6. Hospice. Hospice care is for people who have six months or less to live. A doctor decides this. Hospice workers give physical and emotional care and comfort. They also support families. Hospice care can take place in facilities or in a person's home.

All or some of this kind of care may be found in a facility.

• Medicare is a health insurance program for people who are 65 or older. It also covers people younger than 65 who are disabled or ill and cannot work.



• Medicaid is a medical assistant program for low income people



• Medicare and Medicaid pay long-term care facilities a fixed amount for service. This is based on the resident's needs upon admission.

The survey process in a long-term care facility

•  Inspections are done every nine to 15 months by the state agency that licenses the facility. These inspections are called surveys.



•  Surveyor study how well staffed care for the residents. They focus on how resident's nutritional, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs are met. The surveyor will interview the resident and family. The survey will observe the staff's interaction with the resident and care given. They will review all resident's charts and observe meals, showers, morning and evening routines.

Policies and procedures in the long-term care facility

•  All information on the resident must remain confidential



•  The care plan for the resident must always be followed



•  A nurse aide must not do tasks that are not included in their job description



•  Nurse aides must always be on time for work



•  A nurse aide's personal problems must not be discussed with the resident or with the resident's family



•  The nurse aide must never take money or gifts from the resident or from the resident's family



•  The nurse aide should report any new or unusual changes in the resident

Who lives in long-term care facilities

•  According to the national center for health statistics, almost 91% of long-term-care residents in the US are over the age of 65. Only 9% are younger than 65. Almost 72% of residents are female. More than 85% are Caucasian. Over 50%, from a hospital or other facility.



•  Various studies place the number of nursing home residents with dementia between 50 and 90%. Dementia is defined as a serious loss of mental ability. Dementia and other mental disorders are major causes of nursing home admissions.



•  Without continuous assistance in the home a patient with dementia is often at risk. They can easily leave a stove on or a door open which could cause serious injury. Therefore people with dimension, though physically able and healthy, are often put into a facility for their own safety.