nursing home
A nursing home is a care home that provides 24-hour qualified nursing supervision of patients. It has equipment and facilities to care for people who are too ill or sick to care for themselves, or who need regular attention that is beyond the means of an ordinary residential care home.
The majority of nursing homes generally cater for the elderly who have become sick or infirm. Patients suitable for admission into a nursing home are likely to be those who need constant or intensive supervision on a general health or medical level. This could include the need of the patient to be artificially fed, to have a wound regularly dressed, to have treatment regularly administered for a disease or infection, or to receive help in managing incontinence.
Many patients in nursing homes with temporary ailments do recover sufficiently to enter back into normal residential care or even to return to their own home. However, nursing homes are also able to provide long-term care for the elderly who are ill and have little prospect of making a full recovery.
All reputable nursing homes are registered with a nursing home association and conform to a strict code of ethics.
For more information on nursing homes please use the resources on our site.