- What is rehab?
- What is a rehab facility or a skilled nursing facility?
- Do I need rehab?
- Can I plan for rehab after elective surgery?
- What should I do to arrange rehab while I am in the hospital?
- How do I choose a rehab or skilled nursing facility? (A checklist with questions.)
- What is the best skilled nursing rehab facility in the Berkshires?
“After a hospital stay, you may need rehab (rehabilitation) therapy by professionals trained to help you recover some of the abilities you may have lost.”
What is rehab?
After a hospital stay, you may need rehab (rehabilitation) therapy by professionals trained to help you recover some of the abilities you may have lost. Some of the treatments offered at rehab centers include:
- Physical therapy for strength, mobility and balance
- Occupational therapy to re-learn how to perform everyday tasks at home
- Speech and language therapy to help with communication
- Vocational therapy to re-build skills needed for school or working
- Cognitive therapy to help with learning, memory and decision making
- Music or art therapy to help express feelings and build social connections
- Recreational therapy for emotional well-being
“Patients benefit from more frequent one-on-one therapy than they can get at home and have access to around-the-clock medical care when needed.”
What is a rehab facility or a skilled nursing facility?
Rehab facilities are also known as short-term skilled nursing facilities and should not be confused with long-term senior care. A short-term skilled nursing facility provides inpatient (overnight) care to help a person recover after a stay in a hospital. Medicare defines short-term care as care lasting 100 days or less.
A skilled nursing facility provides rehab therapy (see above) that can only be safely and effectively performed under the direction of healthcare professionals. Patients benefit from more frequent one-on-one therapy than they can get at home and have access to around-the-clock medical care when needed.
The healthcare teams at a skilled nursing facility often include physicians, nurses, rehab therapists, nutritionists, social workers, and therapeutic recreation specialists. Medicare and most insurance companies require these professionals to observe your condition and evaluate the progress of your care.
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“The decision whether to admit you to a short-term skilled nursing facility must be made with your doctor and is based on the care needed and the situation at home. Key factors that are usually considered for post-hospital care are whether you can safely perform all of the following tasks:”
Do I need rehab?
Rehab is frequently prescribed as the result of a hospital stay under either of the following circumstances:
- Elective surgeries such as joint replacements for a shoulder, knee or hip
- Unplanned events and illnesses for diagnoses such as stroke, heart attack, CHF, pneumonia or diabetes
The decision of whether to admit you to a short-term skilled nursing facility should be made with your doctor and is based on the care needed and the situation at home. Key factors that are usually considered for post-hospital care are whether you can safely perform all of the following tasks on your own or with help that is available to you:
- Move around your home (especially between the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen)
- Get into and out of a chair or bed
- Go up and down stairs if you need to use them at home
- Use an assistive device such as a wheelchair or crutches
- Perform basic self-care functions
You should always check with your insurance company to determine if the care you need is covered at that facility.
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“Try to reserve a room at the skilled nursing facility in advance. Not all will do this. However, a reservation is the only way to ensure that your first choice will be available when you need it.”
Can I plan for rehab after elective surgery?
Yes. If your hospital stay is planned, you can plan what happens when you leave the hospital. Discuss with your doctor the types of care you may need and ask for recommendations for the places that provide the best care. The helpful checklist below can help guide you to ask questions and to make a selection.
Some skilled nursing facilities will let you tour the facility and meet caregivers to make sure it will meet your needs. As you may be there for several weeks, it is good to consider the care, environment, and food.
Try to reserve a room at the skilled nursing facility in advance. Not all will do this. However, a reservation is the only way to ensure that your first choice will be available when you need it. If you cannot make a reservation, be sure to have a second-choice facility in mind if your first choice is filled at the moment of hospital discharge.
Notify the hospital of your discharge plans as soon as you know them. After arrival, confirm with the discharge team at the hospital that they are aware of your first choice. Be clear using statements like, “My first choice is (name of facility 1) and my second choice is (name of facility 2).”
“If you do not make a clear choice, the hospital may select a rehab facility for you. Hospitals must follow your choice of a rehab facility if you make it known to them, and they are able to do so.”
What should I do to arrange rehab while I am in the hospital?
After an unplanned hospital admission, you or a family member may feel under pressure by the hospital to quickly select a skilled nursing facility. This can happen within hours of admission. It is a difficult time, but try to make a clear choice. If you do not make a clear choice, the hospital may select a rehab facility for you. Hospitals must follow your choice of a rehab facility if you make it known to them, and they are able to do so.
Some hospitals will encourage you to select a rehab facility run by the same company as the hospital. Be sure that is the right choice for you before you agree. The helpful checklist further down on the page can help guide you to ask questions.
It is best to be prepared. This is what you need to do:
- Select at least two rehab facilities that meet your needs. You should choose two facilities in case your first selection is full at the moment you need it. A helpful checklist of questions to ask about the facilities is below.
- Discuss your choices as soon as possible with a discharge staff member to ensure that your wishes are known. This staff member is often a nurse or a social worker. Be clear using statements like, “My first choice is (name of facility 1) and my second choice is (name of facility 2).”
- Make sure that your health insurance policy covers your facility. Usually, an intake manager at the facility can help.
- Follow-up to make sure that the discharge staff member has contacted your first choice and notified them when to expect your arrival.
“Here is a helpful checklist with questions you want to ask a rehab or skilled nursing facility.”
How do I choose a rehab or skilled nursing facility? (A checklist with questions.)
Here is a helpful checklist with questions you want to ask a rehab or skilled nursing facility.
- Location. Location. Make sure that the rehab facility is convenient for relatives and friends. You will depend on these people to support recovery the patient in rehab. You do not need to select the closest facility, but travel should not be a burden.
- Check the unbiased ratings for short-term rehabilitation facilities at https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes. Select from the ones rated “high performing” if any exist in your area.
- Ask if the rehab facility often cares for people with the same medical condition. For example, if you had a heart attack, selecting a facility with professionals familiar with the condition is best. The best skilled nursing facilities will show you data that indicates the quality of their care.
- Find out if rehabilitative therapies, including physical, occupational, and speech therapies, are available to you seven days a week. How long are therapy sessions? Will you have the same one or two therapists for your care? Look for consistency of medical care. The length of therapy and having therapy seven days each week is critical because the more therapy you receive, the faster you will get home.
- Inquire about the gym. Does it have the proper state-of-the-art equipment to care for your needs, or is the equipment many years old? Is the gym spacious with plenty of room for multiple therapies?
- Ask detailed questions about the staff.
- When is the medical director on-site?
- Are professional licensed nurses on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week for personal assistance and nursing care needs, including medication monitoring and administration? What is the nurse-to-patient ratio? You want to determine how much time a nurse will have to work with you.
- Are certified nursing assistants (CNAs) on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for any additional supplemental personal assistance? What is the CNA-to-patient ratio? You want to know how busy the CNA might be when the call button is pressed.
- Seek a facility with 100% private rooms. A private room increases patient happiness, well-being and helps to preserve the patient’s dignity. A private room will often make it easier to sleep because there are no interruptions due to care for a roommate. You may be told that Medicare and other insurance usually will cover only the cost of a semi-private or shared room. However, a private room is generally covered if the desired facility has only private rooms available. Your rehab facility will work with you to confirm the insurance payment.
- Ask about the meals. Is the dining room comfortable? Are the meals prepared on-site or brought in? There is a private dining room just for short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation patients in the best circumstances.
- Try to select a non-profit skilled nursing center. They tend to be able to put more money towards health care, including the salaries of employees. Happy employees tend to stay longer, which reduces turnover.
- Look for a locally managed company. Nursing facilities that are part of a chain may not able to customize care without seeking additional approvals from a corporation that does not know you. Staff at a locally run company are usually empowered to make faster decisions and can easily talk to management when needed.
“The best skilled nursing and facility in the Berkshires is one that is rated “high performing” by U.S. News and World Report, is close to family and friends for support, provides therapy seven days per week and enables you to stay in a private room.”
What is the best rehab or skilled nursing facility in the Berkshires?
The best skilled nursing facilities in the Berkshires is one that is rated “high performing” by U.S. News and World Report, is close to family and friends for support, provides therapy seven days per week and enables you to stay in a private room.
Short-term skilled nursing homes in the Berkshires are listed at https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/area/pittsfield-ma. As of the writing of this article, the only nursing facility ranked “Best Nursing Home” in the Berkshires is Berkshire Place in Pittsfield.
A Berkshire Medical Center, Baystate Hospital or other regional hospital discharge team member will meet with you or a loved one soon after admission. It is crucial to plan as quickly as possible for the discharge to make sure that the facility of your choice will have an opening for you.
Use the checklist above to ask the Berkshire Medical Center, Baystate Hospital or other regional hospital discharge team questions about each rehab facility. They should be familiar with all of them or could assist with finding out additional information for you.
Clearly state your preferences for a rehab facility by using phrases like, “My first choice is (name of facility 1) and my second choice is (name of facility 2).” Therefore, it is essential to designate your first choice, even if the staff member suggests that the facility is full. Room status can change hourly. The hospital discharge staff must follow your requests if you clearly state your “first choice” and “second choice,” provided that it is medically advisable to do so.
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89 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
413-445-4056
89 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
413-445-4056