Washington Nursing/Rehab Centers

Nursing and rehabilitation centers provide elderly residents with a high level of personalized services, including room and board, personal care, protection, recreation, supervision, and medical care. Nursing centers (also sometimes called a nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit (SNU), care home, rest home, intermediate care, or old folk’s home) and rehab centers are licensed and regulated by each state’s Department of Public Health. Those nursing and rehabilitation centers that are individually certified by either Medicare or Medicaid, or both, are subject to federal requirements regarding staffing and quality of care for residents. In the United States, nursing homes that participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid are required to have licensed practical nurses (LPNs) on duty 24 hours a day. For at least eight hours per day, seven days per week, there must be a registered nurse (RN) on duty.