Subscribe to Active Adult Retirement CommunitiesNews FeedSubscribe to Active Adult Retirement CommunitiesComments

Browse > Home / Retirement Communities / Continuing Care Communities / Skilled Nursing Care Communities

Skilled Nursing Care Communities


Skilled Nursing Care offers both short-term and long-term nursing care such as rehabilitative and round-the-clock nursing services.  It is usually available in facilities located on the grounds of a Continuing Care Retirement Community, or CCRC, for residents who need 24-hour per day monitoring and assistance and/or custodial care under the supervision of nurses.

The need for Skilled Nursing Care is strong as life expectancy continues to rise with a record number of people approaching their senior years.

In the continuum of a CCRC, Skilled Nursing Care is the final level after Assisted Living Care.  At this point, the resident must usually be transferred from Assisted Living to Skilled Nursing Care. Residents at a Skilled Nursing Community are usually cognitively impaired and in need of assistance with at least three Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).  State regulations define the services that Skilled Nursing facilities can provide.

A Skilled Nursing facility is for a resident who meets one or more of the following criteria:

  • Cannot take care of themselves because of physical, emotional, or mental problems;
  • Can no longer care for their own personal needs, such as eating, bathing, using the toilet, moving around, or taking medications (custodial care);
  • Requires more care than can be provided by their caregiver, and cannot live alone;
  • Might wander away if unsupervised;
  • Has extensive medical needs requiring daily attention or monitoring by an RN supervised by an MD;
  • Is going to be discharged from the hospital and requires temporary Skilled Nursing care or rehabilitation before returning home or to a residential facility;
  • Has been recommended for a Nursing Home by a physician.

A licensed physician supervises each resident’s care and a nurse or other medical professional is almost always on the premises.  Most skilled nursing facilities have two basic types of services: skilled medical care and custodial care.

Skilled medical care includes services of trained professionals that are needed for a limited period of time following an injury or illness:

  • An R.N. doing wound care and changing dressings after a major surgery, or administering and monitoring I.V. antibiotics for a severe infection.
  • A physical therapist helping to correct strength and balance problems that have made it difficult for a resident to walk or get on and off the bed, toilet or furniture.
  • A speech therapist helping a resident regain the ability to communicate after a stroke.
  • An occupational therapist helping a resident relearn independent self-care in areas such as dressing, grooming and eating.

Skilled care may also be needed on a long term basis if a resident requires injections, ventilation or other treatment of that nature.

Custodial, or personal, care includes assistance with activities of daily living, such as:

  • Bathing
  • Dressing
  • Eating
  • Grooming
  • Getting in and out of bed, or walking around
  • Toileting

Residents who are able to recover from a disabling injury or illness, may temporarily need the custodial care as they are getting back the strength and balance to be independent again.  For residents who are losing their ability to function independently due to chronic disease and increasing frailty, custodial care may be a long-term need.

There are many quality Skilled Nursing Care Communities in California.  View some of your options in the following cities:

Bookmark and Share