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While each place that provides this type of care may have its own definition of long-term care, the most common type of long-term care is senior personal care. This helps with what’s referred to as the activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, using the toilet, and transitioning from seated to standing or getting in and out of bed. People often need long-term care when they have a debilitating or progressive medical condition that prevents them from living safely at home, yet they don’t need to be in a hospital that provides acute care. A person in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease or someone who has experienced a severe stroke are examples of people who might require long-term care. Comprehensive medical care is available around the clock for those receiving long-term care. The duration of long-term care is indefinite; the goal is to help people live as independently and safely as possible.

It can be helpful to think of short-term care as temporary care for the purpose of rehabilitation. The intent of short-term care is to help someone recover from an illness, injury or surgery so they can return to their active, independent lifestyle. Usually, short-term care fills the gap when people are discharged from the hospital but are not yet able to manage on their own in their usual living setting. Services include medical care and monitoring by a team of doctors and nurses, along with therapeutic services (occupational, physical and speech therapy) to help people regain their independence and quality of life. The rate of recovery varies from one person to the next, so the duration of short-term care might last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months. Compared with the clinical and often impersonal setting of a hospital, senior rehabilitation centers offer a more comfortable, welcoming environment for people while they’re recovering. Medicare and many private health plans may cover some or all of the cost of short-term rehabilitation services. Coverage depends on a number of factors, such as the duration of care, whether the care was preceded by a hospital stay, and whether the care is required for recovery from an illness, injury or surgery (versus care for a chronic health condition).