One unfortunate truth about life is that accidents and injuries can happen to anyone, especially as we get older. Physical therapy and rehabilitation are key aspects of recovering from any of these events and critical to post-acute care, no matter what type of injury you are recovering from. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the pros and cons of either conducting your rehab at home versus rehab in a dedicated facility.
Benefits of At-Home Therapy
For most people, there are two primary reasons they would choose to undergo at-home physical therapy instead of in a facility: cost and comfort.
- Cost
For many reasons, this is a far more cost-effective strategy for achieving physical health and wellbeing. When you are in a facility, the cost for room and board adds up quickly, sometimes even up to $1000 per day. While insurance or Medicaid will often cover these expenses in emergencies, you can still be left paying large deductibles or facing complications on your bill. Skilled Nursing Facilities must pay all their workers, pay for chefs and food, and cover maintenance, heating/cooling, and rental costs.
- Comfort
No one likes living in a facility, it’s just the truth. When you are there, you will be stuck in a small, confined room, often with a roommate. Many of your favorite foods and comfort items will not be available to you, and you will be “at the mercy” of the kindness and willingness of the staff to allow you to do simple things like take a walk outside or get a snack outside of designated mealtimes. For many, this is an unavoidable reality, but it’s important to understand that almost anyone living in a Skilled Nursing Facility would do anything to be back at home, where they can surround themselves with things that comfort them and see family members on an easier basis.
These are major benefits, and the psychological effect of being at home cannot be underestimated. Living in a facility can be a grueling and dehumanizing experience for many, especially during the Covid pandemic when many residents of these facilities lost the ability to see their family members regularly. Additionally, studies indicate that there is no quantifiable difference in recovery and long-term health of patients who opt for at-home care versus inpatient physical rehab.
Benefits of In-patient Therapy
However, the unfortunate reality is that many people are simply unable to perform at-home rehabilitation. If your house is too dangerous and the necessary repairs or upgrades to make it safer are too expensive or difficult, in-patient therapy might be necessary. Another reason might be a lack of available family to help at home if unsupervised periods are too dangerous. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t fear – with hard work and assistance, most people find themselves in Skilled Nursing or physical therapy facilities for short amounts of time, and they can acquire the degree of independence necessary to go back home.
Some of the benefits of in-patient rehab are:
- 24/7 medical care
Although they are expensive, you do have access to CNAs, nurses, and even doctors on demand, 24 hours a day. If this is necessary there’s no replacement for it, as few at-home services would be able to offer 24-hour live-in care unless you are privately hiring and paying an aide. This will allow you to relax and not worry about getting your meds or therapy, as you will always be guaranteed that someone will be around to take care of you.
- Dedicated amenities
When you live in a facility, they will take care of all cooking, cleaning, and laundry for you. This allows you to fully focus on your health and improve your ability to perform activities of daily life, or ADLs. Many people take being able to perform these tasks for granted, but after an accident, illness, or injury, simple tasks like these can become impossible while you are recovering. If you’re having difficulty maintaining these jobs or finding someone to help, a healthcare facility may be the best option while you are working towards getting fully healthy and independent again.
While there are benefits as well as downsides to both options, most people would gladly choose at-home physical therapy for their recovery. This will allow you to live how you are used to living as much as possible, spend more time with family, and eat the foods you are used to eating. However, there are many situations where round the clock, 24/7 medical care is required, and in these cases, a nursing or rehabilitation facility might be the best choice. Each individual situation can be assessed by professional caretakers and doctors, and they will work with you to make sure both your physical and mental health remains as strong as possible.