Stroke Survivor Blog

We were informed that Steve will be discharged soon, so we must start looking for a nursing home. We hoped he would be well enough to come home by the time he must leave the hospital, but it’s obvious that he isn’t.

There is no way I can care for him at home. He needs 24-hour skilled nursing care. The idea of sending him to a nursing home just grieves my heart so much. Even though I know it’s only temporary, just the thought of it is so hard to accept…for me and for Steve.

Right after the stroke when Steve was still in ICU, I asked a nurse what would happen to him if he was still paralyzed. She said a lot of stroke survivors go to nursing homes for rehabilitation. I broke down and cried because I knew it would devastate him to end up there. He’s been in the hospital rehab unit for 4 weeks now, but we were warned that this day was coming.

I was under the assumption that Medicare would pay for inpatient rehab as long as Steve needed therapy. But Medicare will pay for hospital rehabilitation only while it is “medically necessary”. Since they no longer consider it necessary for him to be in an inpatient rehab facility, they determine that it’s more cost effective for them to have him move to a skilled nursing facility (or nursing home) to get the rehab.

Between Medicare and the supplemental insurance that we have, they will pay for 100 days at a nursing home with a rehab unit if he goes there right from the hospital. So now we need to find the right facility where Steve will get the therapy and care that he needs to prepare him to come home. A couple of people “in the know” are helping us. Even though the hospital gave us a list of skilled nursing facilities, we must still visit each one to see for ourselves, and then they must have a private room available.

Some nursing homes have private rooms designated for short-term stays (100 days or less). Usually these are for residents who are there for rehabilitation. In these cases, Medicare will pay for the private room. However, the number of private rooms is often limited, so we must find a facility where there is an opening when Steve is discharged. The other alternative is a semi-private room, and that is not acceptable.

My apprehension about Steve going to a nursing home is that he will not get the same quality of care and therapy that he is getting now. In the hospital there is one nurse and one CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) for every 6 patients. In a skilled nursing facility there is only one nurse and one CNA for every 19 patients. In addition to that, the therapy is not as aggressive. So I’m concerned that Steve may have a setback if he does not get the amount of therapy that he needs each day.

I am committing this to prayer using some scripture promises like the ones below, praying that God will go before us to prepare the way and direct us to the right facility.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“…the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.”  Numbers 10:33