There are many differences between short-term care options and rehab options. Generally, short-term care includes patients being placed there if they have a minor issue or if they have had a minor surgery that requires minimal healing and care. Short-term care should be used only for minor situations that can have a positive end result and where the person can heal accordingly to plan.
In addition, short-term care should be used for people who are attempting to heal or get better within a time span of a week to several months. If the person needs additional support or resources that are not offered at home, they should stay at a short-term care facility to get the treatment that they desperately need. For example, if your parent has a minor surgery that only includes symptoms of weakness and the inability to be able stand up for a few weeks, but you and your family has to work all day, you should consider a short-term care program. This way, the healthcare professional will know exactly how much attention the patient needs and be able to provide the correct care. Also, if you are not going to be able to help this person, it may delay their recovery and get them back into the same condition that they were in before the surgery. Therefore, it is very important that you consider what factors are needed to decide on the type of care program that the patient will need.
Rehab options, on the other hand, tend to either last for a longer period of time or be performed at a place outside of the patient’s home that they only visit a certain amount of days a week or month. For example, the patient could be placed in a long-term rehab if they have substance abuse issues and need serious help. Additionally, if the patient needs to be kept away from these substances, rehab will be effective because they cannot physically get to the substances and begin abusing them again.
Another type of rehab falls into the physical therapy type of care. This rehab could include having the patient come out to the office on a weekly or monthly basis to receive physical therapy intended to heal their wounds or issues, such as broken bones or strained muscles. These types of rehabs especially help those who have a serious issue that needs a healthcare professional’s undivided attention placed on.