It is not easy to find a reliable facility for long-term ventilator-dependent patients that may accommodate not only their respiratory needs but also provide a comfortable, safe, and private environment. Families can opt for either adult family homes or skilled nursing facilities for their loved ones depending on their needs and personal preferences. Both can provide long-term ventilation support; however, both differ with respect to their size, services provided, and environment.
What Is an Adult Family Home?
An adult family home is a licensed facility set up inside a residential home that facilitates the physical and medical needs of a small group of patients, generally 2 to 6 adults as per Washington Law. These adult homes provide advanced medical services to the accepted patients; however, Washington Law does not impose any restrictions on employing licensed nurses on site inside adult homes. The liability to check for the presence of qualified staff and required services in these facilities solely lies with the families of the patients.
What Is a Skilled Nursing Facility?
A Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF, or nursing home) is a medical center providing 24/7 nursing care and supervision to the patients. An SNF usually maintains qualified staff including RN’s, LPN’s, nursing assistants, healthcare providers, dietitians, and therapists. These facilities provide a short stay for the patients who need some extra care before going to their homes. On the contrary to the Adult family home, it is usually a larger setup with availability of qualified nursing care staff round the clock.
Key Differences Families Should Consider
Size and Overall Environment
An adult family home is a small residential setup accommodating no more than 6 patients at a time. Having a limited number of patients, it’s quieter and supports one-to-one relationships between patients and nursing staff.
Having said that, a skilled nursing facility can accommodate more residents in a larger setup. It characterizes a more professional setup equipped with a nursing station, specialized areas for therapies, and shared rooms, corridors, and dining areas.
Some patients may feel comfortable in AFH, especially those who are unable to communicate, while others may prefer a larger and more professional environment. However, size alone cannot be a measuring tool. The families must check for staff availability and turnover, caregiver training, and emergency handling to decide between AFH and SNF.
Nursing and Ventilator Support
A skilled nursing facility is best known to provide continuous care to patients with complex medical needs; however, not every facility is equipped to accept respiratory-challenged patients or provide dedicated ventilation support to all residents.
Similarly, adult family homes usually are not the best option for specialized ventilator care, being operationally and legally limited to non-invasive ventilation.
Family members must check for every important factor regarding respiratory support equipment and staff promptness to emergencies to provide the best care to their loved ones.
Privacy and Personal Space
Private space can add more to the recovery of the patients as it could create a sense of comfort and dignity among patients.
Adult family homes offer a homelike setting with a private bedroom that residents can personalize as per their personal preferences. While the space in skilled nursing facilities is usually shared. Residents mostly need to share a bedroom or bathroom with another person, which may cause discomfort for the residents.
Daily Life and Personal Routines
A facility with a limited number of residents can provide a more personalized routine as compared to a larger professional facility. Adult family homes show flexibility for every resident’s daily routine activities like sleeping and waking, meal preferences, family visits, and social gatherings.
While in a professional setup like a skilled nursing facility, a one-size-fits-all formula is applied. It may provide an extensive rehabilitation program but follows a structured daily schedule irrespective of the personal preferences of the residents.
Access to Rehabilitation and Other Services
Rehabilitation may be an additional service provided by adult family homes. However, the therapists are not present in adult homes around the clock; rather, they visit as per the needs of the patients instead.
On the contrary, skilled nursing facilities provide valuable rehabilitation services from respiratory therapy to speech and mobility assistance. They ensure on-site availability of physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and respiratory therapists all the time.
Which Facility Is Appropriate for Ventilator-Dependent Patients
A specialized adult family home is the best option if the patient needs:
- Personal and smaller space
- One-to-one relationship with caregivers
- Personalized routine care
- Family coordination
- Longer ventilator support in a homelike setting
A skilled nursing facility is appropriate for those who need
- Round-the-clock medical care
- Advanced rehabilitation services
- Complex treatment
- Better respiratory or ventilation care
- Short-term care after hospitalization
Ventilation Care at Better Options
Better Options Adult Family Home specializes in providing the best ventilation care to adults in Vancouver, Washington, in a smaller, homelike environment with private rooms. Better Options maintains trained nurses and CNAs around the clock, and an on-call respiratory therapist. Being a smaller setting, it supports one-to-one medical care, personalized routines, and family involvement. The facility takes measures to evaluate the medical and physical condition of the patient before admitting the patient to the facility, and once admitted, the patient gets the best physical, medical, and social care at the facility. Call us at (360) 944-4471 or send your questions through our contact page. Our team is ready to help your family with confidence.
