ABA Family Legal Guide

The Rights of Older Americans

Nursing-Home Care

What is a nursing home?

A nursing home is a facility that provides skilled nursing care and related services for residents who require medical or nursing care; rehabilitation services for injured, disabled, or sick persons; and health-related care and services, above the level of room and board, that can be made available only through institutional facilities.

Often, nursing facilities make distinctions between levels of care--skilled and custodial--for purposes of Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance coverage. The distinction between "skilled" and "custodial" care affects Medicare and is discussed on page 611.

Only about 5 percent of people age sixty-five and older live in nursing homes at any given time, but researchers estimate that older persons overall have about a 40 percent chance of spending at least some time in nursing homes. While some older nursing-home residents stay for extended periods, the majority stay in a facility less than six months.