One of the most difficult and emotional moments of your life is the realization that a loved one can no longer live independently. Your loved one may need intensive care and rehabilitation after a hospital stay or illness, or they may need long-term skilled care for assistance with daily activities and supervision. There are many nursing homes in Salt Lake City, but it can be challenging to make a decision when you may already feel overwhelmed. The following are the best Salt Lake City skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities to consider with good quality ratings and positive feedback from residents.
How to Choose Nursing Homes in Salt Lake City
As you explore Medicaid nursing homes in Salt Lake City, it’s helpful to know exactly what you should be looking for. Consider the following to choose a senior care facility that will provide your loved one with the best possible setting.
- Size and environment. Some people prefer a smaller facility that feels more intimate while others do better in a large facility with a packed calendar of activities. Tour the facility and see if it has quiet areas, activity spaces, and outdoor areas for residents.
- Type of services. Some services are essential while others are just a perk that add to patient satisfaction. You may want to consider rehabilitation services, memory care for a loved one with dementia, private versus semi-private rooms.
- Quality rating. CMS regularly inspects licensed nursing homes in Salt Lake City. You can see and compare ratings at the Medicare website, check the number of complaints against the facility, and see if the facility has had serious violations.
It’s always a good idea to visit the facility to see for yourself if residents appear well cared for and to judge the interactions between residents and staff.
What Does a Nursing Home Cost in Salt Lake City?
According to Genworth, the average cost of care in a nursing home facility in the United States is $7,513 per month for a semi-private room and $8,517 for a private room. The average cost of care in nursing homes in Salt Lake City is $6,996 for a semi-private room, by comparison. The cost of a stay in a memory care unit for patients with dementia who require greater supervision and assistance is usually about $1,000 higher.
For most families, figuring out how to pay for skilled nursing care in Salt Lake City can be a major challenge. For example, Medicare generally doesn’t pay for long-term care stays. There are many possible options to pay for a nursing home in Utah.
Long-Term Care Insurance
Ideally, the first option to pay for a Salt Lake City nursing home is long-term care insurance which is designed specifically to pay for long-term care services that aren’t covered by health insurance or Medicare. These policies usually require that you pay for long-term care for a specific amount of time, such as 30-90 days, before the policy begins to pay out up to a daily maximum until the lifetime maximum is reached.
Of course, long-term care insurance is only helpful if a policy was purchased before a stay is needed.
Medicare
The next step is turning to Medicare. While Medicare won’t offer all-inclusive long-term care coverage, it can provide coverage for up to 100 days per benefit period for certain beneficiaries. Medicare does cover rehabilitation, however. It can also cover up to 35 hours per week of home care services to help when a nursing home seems likely but isn’t quite needed yet.
Medicaid
Medicaid provides care for over 60% of all nursing home residents. This state and federal program is designed to help low-income seniors but its strict income and asset requirements mean seniors must exhaust most of their savings before Medicaid will pay for nursing home care.
Highland Care Center –SLC Nursing Home with the Best Rehabilitation Services
Highland Care Center is founded on core values of compassion, wellness, experience, and results. The facility focuses on helping patients enjoy positive experiences with wellness as their primary goal. Rehabilitation patients work with a team of therapists who work toward each patient’s individual goals to help them return home with greater independence. Long-term care residents benefit from a home-like environment with quality nutrition.
Highland Care Center offers a range of amenities for residents including complimentary Wifi, a private dining area with restaurant-style dining, private rooms, a beauty salon, and free transportation to activities.
- Services: Short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, respite care, bariatric care, Memory Care unit, Medicare and Medicaid accepted
- Website: https://highlandcarecenter.com/
- Address: 4285 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84124 (801) 278-2839
Meadow Brook Rehab and Nursing – Affordable Nursing Home in SLC
Meadow Brook is a small 41-bed nursing home specializing in quality rehabilitation and long-term nursing care. The facility is served by Independence Rehab, one of the country’s leading providers of therapy, with a full staff of speech, occupational, and physical therapists. Meadow Brook is one of the more affordable nursing homes in Salt Lake City that still provides a high level of care.
Meals are included with stays at Meadow Brook in addition to social activities for residents and outings to local attractions and shopping. The facility earns great reviews for its caring staff and resident amenities.
- Services: Short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, Medicare and Medicaid accepted
- Website: http://www.meadowbrookrehab.net/
- Address: 433 E 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84115 (801) 487-2248
William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home – Best Salt Lake City Nursing Home for Veterans
This Salt Lake City Veterans Home is a medium-sized facility with 8 beds The William E. Christoffersen facility is one of the top-rated Salt Lake City nursing homes with a higher-than-average registered nurse staffing ratio, an excellent pressure ulcer prevention program, and very low hospitalization rates. This has earned the facility a prestigious 5-star rating for overall quality from CMS. At its most recent inspection by the CMS, the facility had no violations with a moderate or high potential for harm.
The William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home is located in the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The facility offers veterans a new recreational department with games and activities including outings to sporting events and museums. Like other veteran’s homes, the facility is owned and managed by the state, not the Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide senior care to eligible veterans.
- Services: Short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, complex medical care, respite care
- Website: https://veterans.utah.gov/veterans-homes/
- Address: 700 S. Foothill Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84113 (801) 584-1900
City Creek Post Acute – Excellent Salt Lake City Rehab Center
City Creek Post Acute is one of the the top Salt Lake City rehab centers. This 108-bed Medicare nursing home in Salt Lake City offers both short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing care for Salt Lake seniors.
City Creek Post Acute offers comprehensive in-house therapy with programs customized to the needs of each patient. The facility has invested in state-of-the-art technology and techniques to help patients return home and regain their independence. In-house therapists are certified in many specialty areas like pulmonary programs, wound care, and swallowing dysfunctions. Following discharge, patients benefit from an outpatient care program to continue their improvements.
- Services: Short-term rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, Medicaid and Medicare accepted
- Website: https://citycreekpostacute.com/
- Address: 165 S 1000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 (801) 322-5521
Life Care Center of Salt Lake City – Top-Rated Nursing Home in Salt Lake City
Life Care Center is located right next to Intermountain Medical Center and the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital and it offers inpatient and outpatient rehab, and short-term and long-term skilled nursing care. Life Care Center is one of the highest-rated nursing homes in Salt Lake City, according to US News. The facility is ranked as High Performing in both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation thanks to its registered nurse and physical therapist staffing, low substantiated complaints, low rate of hospitalizations, and a large share of patients who receive more than the minimum amount of indicated therapy.
Residents at Life Care Center enjoy walking paths, a garden, cable TV, daily activities, and fine dining in a home-like setting.
- Services: Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, short-term and long-term skilled nursing care, Memory Care unit, Medicare and Medicaid accepted
- Website: https://lcca.com/locations/ut/salt-lake-city/
- Address: 1201 E. 4500 S., Salt Lake City, UT 83117 (801) 261-3664
Sandy Health and Rehab – Nursing Home in SLC with Excellent Reviews
Located in nearby Sandy, this facility features excellent reviews and top ratings from CMS for its long-term care and short-term rehab services. Sandy Health and Rehab specializes in post-hospital rehab. It’s one of the few rehab centers in the region to offer occupational, speech, and physical therapy in one location with an outcome-oriented approach.
Sandy Health and Rehab offers semi-private and private rooms with a range of on-site entertainment and activities. All meals are approved by a registered dietitian with authentic Navajo cuisine.
- Services: Short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, Medicaid and Medicare accepted
- Website: http://sandyrehab.com/
- Address: 50 E 9000 S, Sandy, UT 84070 (801) 561-9839
Map of Salt Lake City Nursing Homes
Moving into a nursing home can be a frightening and overwhelming experience for the entire family, but these top nursing homes in Salt Lake City are notable for their comprehensive services, compassionate staff, and comfortable environments. With the right facility, moving into long-term care can be a positive experience with new friends, hobbies, and experiences. You can count on the friendly movers at Wasatch Moving Company to make the nursing home move-in experience easier and less stressful. Contact us today for a free estimate.