Acute vs. Subacute Care - Rehabilitation

A renowned executive in the eldercare sector, Jacob M. Graff has provided personalized healthcare services and needs for the elderly over the last three decades. Jacob M. Graff currently leads an eldercare company as CEO. He is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the residential and healthcare facilities and the provision of skilled and sub-acute medical care.

After suffering debilitating health complications from underlying conditions or surviving a traumatic injury, seniors generally need rehabilitation programs to recover from those injuries fully. Still, care must be taken when deciding the type of rehabilitation program suitable for their condition.

Acute care is an intensive form of senior rehabilitation for less severe injuries that don't significantly hamper patients' strength. Examples of these injuries are minimal strokes, heart attacks, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Ideal patients for acute care are those who can withstand three or more hours of daily therapy in addition to other assessments and multidisciplinary treatment plans to help them regain their body function. The goal of acute care is mainly to prepare a senior for normal day-to-day activities.

Contrary to acute care, subacute care is designed to help survivors of more severe injuries. Care is provided less rapidly compared to acute care because subacute care patients can't withstand aggressive treatments. Survivors of terminal illnesses like cancer and ALS often need subacute care. The same applies to seniors with major strokes, gastrointestinal problems, eating disorders, malnutrition, and those who have sustained traumatic wounds.

Benefit of Agency-Appointed Eldercare

A Los Angeles-based business leader with a longstanding entrepreneurial career spanning more than three decades, Jacob M. Graff is experienced in all facets of healthcare facility acquisition, development, and administration, as well as the provision of skilled and subacute healthcare. For more than three decades, Jacob M. Graff has served as the CEO of an elder care company.

At some point in their lives, seniors become more dependent in the areas of self-care, housekeeping, medication, and health, among others. For some seniors, moving to an assisted living facility or a nursing home is ideal, but some don't necessarily require these and can benefit from residential care. In-home healthcare is provided to seniors at their residential apartments (which sometimes belong to another family member). The goal of these services is to ensure that they are rendered the assistance as mentioned above as per need and promptly.

In-home elder care requires an in-home health worker whose purpose is to dispense appropriate medication to a senior, analyze and report the senior's health status to their care provider, and sometimes assist the senior with personal care tasks. In-home health workers are sometimes contracted independently, but many prefer agency-appointed health workers assigned to seniors by eldercare organizations.

Agency-appointed health workers have a duty obligation to fulfill the services in the contract and report the health status of patients to their employer on a pre-specified basis. Most of them are certified professionals who attend continuing education programs to meet industry standards, ascertaining professional care.

One major problem with hiring independent health workers is that they can be absent sometimes, and their absence may make seniors vulnerable to health risks. Agency-appointed health workers can be replaced with another worker by their employer when absent.