{"id":4402524,"date":"2026-08-07T09:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/living-in-a-nursing-home-lets-clear-up-some-misconceptions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:41:08","slug":"living-in-a-nursing-home-lets-clear-up-some-misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/living-in-a-nursing-home-lets-clear-up-some-misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in a Nursing Home: Let\u2019s Clear Up Some Misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

In April 2014, Santabarbara Hospital opened its Long-Term Care Facility<\/strong>: twenty beds under contract with the Provincial Health Authority and ten for private patients, all located within the same hospital complex. Since then ,<\/strong> the facility has welcomed dozens of people<\/strong> each year who are unable to care for themselves\u2014mostly elderly individuals\u2014and who require continuous care<\/strong> that is difficult to provide in a hospital or at home. <\/p>\n

A nursing home is not a hospital<\/strong>, because its residents do not require acute care or intensive rehabilitation; but it is not simply a retirement home<\/strong> (or assisted living facility) either<\/strong>, because the care provided is medical<\/strong> in every respect (not just nursing care), with a team that provides continuous support to each resident.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A group of professionals with diverse backgrounds but coordinated within the same care plan looks after the residents: doctors, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, social care workers, and social workers<\/strong>. Each professional addresses a different aspect of daily life\u2014from medication management to mobility, from psychological support to social activities\u2014ensuring that care is not limited to clinical aspects but takes into account the person as a whole. <\/p>\n

Types of Hospitalization: Public and Private<\/h2>\n

There are two ways to enter a nursing home<\/strong>, and they are not the same.<\/p>\n

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  • \n
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    • The first option is admission under an agreement with the National Health Service<\/strong>, which is processed through the Multidisciplinary Assessment Unit (UVM) of the social and health care district of the relevant ASP. The UVM assesses the person\u2019s physical and mental condition and, if it determines that the person is not self-sufficient, recommends admission to a long-term care facility (RSA). The request may come from various parties: the individual concerned or their family members, the primary care physician, the hospital unit where the individual may be hospitalized, the social services department of the municipality of residence, or another residential facility where the individual is temporarily staying. The Individualized Care Plan drawn up by the UVM sets specific length-of-stay limits: a maximum of 12 consecutive months<\/strong>, and generally no fewer than 30 days. Periodic reviews are also scheduled, so the length of stay is reassessed over time rather than decided once and for all. This applies both to short-term stays (for example, the transition phase from a hospital stay to returning home, when a period of recovery and stabilization is needed) and to longer-term situations related to chronic conditions, with the possibility of renewal following the review. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The second option is private admission<\/strong>: those who do not meet the ASP\u2019s eligibility requirements, or who simply prefer not to go through the regional assessment process, are free to choose admission to a long-term care facility (RSA) by pursuing a private admission process. In this case, admission is handled directly with the facility, without the involvement of the UVM at any stage of the care process, and\u2014unlike the public system\u2014 the time limits defined by the PAI are not set in advance<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

      Guilt: Where It Comes From and Why It’s Unfounded<\/h2>\n

      Anyone considering placing a parent or family member in a nursing home almost always faces a fundamental dilemma: Am I abandoning this person?<\/em><\/p>\n

      This question is particularly relevant for those considering admission to a private facility for situations that are expected to be long-term or without a defined discharge date.<\/p>\n

      This question often arises even before visiting the facility, fueled by the notion that caring for a family member who is not self-sufficient necessarily means doing so at home, on one\u2019s own. It\u2019s a widespread belief, often reinforced by the opinions of those around them: relatives, neighbors, and sometimes even their own children or grandchildren, who feel \u201cjudged\u201d for the choice they\u2019re making. <\/p>\n

      In Sicily, the care of the elderly within the family is rooted in a social model that has endured for centuries<\/strong>: for generations, it has been the family network that has provided protection and assistance to those in need, from children to the elderly. That model, however, now faces a reality different from the one in which it originated. The network of relatives who once shared the responsibility of caring for an elderly person (a brother in the morning, a niece in the afternoon, a neighbor in the evening\u2026) is now often reduced to just one or two people, who may live hundreds of kilometers away. <\/p>\n

      Furthermore, home care is not always possible<\/strong>, even when a support network of family members is available, and it is not always the best solution for the person who needs it. An older adult with disabling conditions often requires round-the-clock care that involves specific skills, which are difficult to provide at home. <\/p>\n

      Choosing a nursing home does not mean stopping caring for someone, but rather changing the nature of that care: from informal and often improvised care to professional care, in which the family still plays an active role<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      It is worth stating this clearly, in part because guilt\u2014when it becomes the sole criterion for evaluating this choice\u2014risks causing a delay in a decision that, if made in a timely manner, can improve the quality of life for both the older person and their caregiver.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      What Life Is Like, Day by Day<\/h2>\n

      The question almost everyone asks is the same: What does it really mean to place a family member in a nursing home? What is it like to live in a place like this? <\/p>\n

      Life in a nursing home involves a structured yet flexible routine<\/strong>: meals at set times, medical and nursing visits, as well as time and space dedicated to recreation, socializing, and occupational activities. At Santabarbara Hospital, for example, the nursing home is organized like a large home: 15 double rooms, for a total of 30 beds, each with a private bathroom and overlooking the inner garden, while the common areas face the public street. Large windows bring natural light into both the rooms and the shared areas, where residents can move about freely: a reading room, a dining area with an attached bar, spaces for recreational activities, a small gym, a room for medical visits, and a room for religious services, as well as a hair salon and beauty salon. <\/p>\n

      The care provided covers both medical and personal needs<\/strong>: general medical and nursing care, psychological support, rehabilitation, dietary counseling, pharmaceutical and prosthetic assistance, as well as personal care, psychosocial rehabilitation activities, lodging services, and religious assistance for those who wish to receive it.<\/p>\n

      Community life is central, and family members are not excluded from the care process: there is a committee of family members and residents<\/strong>, as well as self-help and mutual-aid groups<\/strong>. The nursing home also organizes services that go beyond care in the strict sense, such as transportation<\/strong> for outside specialist appointments or to run errands, picking up pension checks, group outings in the neighborhood, or walks on the beach. The facility is located just a few meters from the sea<\/strong>, in a garden-style neighborhood with extensive green spaces and a parking lot that can accommodate over 200 cars\u2014convenient for those coming from outside Gela to visit a family member. <\/p>\n

      The advantage of having a nursing home within the hospital<\/h2>\n

      One of the things that sets the Santabarbara Hospital long-term care facility apart is its location: it is located within the hospital itself<\/strong>, not in a separate building or operated by a different organization. This is not just a logistical detail; it actually makes a real difference in the quality of care. <\/p>\n

      If a resident needs a diagnostic test, a specialist visit, or an urgent consultation, they do not have to be transferred elsewhere<\/strong>: the clinic, the outpatient center, and the diagnostic area are just a short walk away. In times of vulnerability, when every trip represents additional stress for an elderly, non-self-sufficient person, being able to rely on the entire care pathway in one place makes a real difference, both in terms of timeliness and clinical continuity. It is the same principle that ensures, during the transition from a hospital stay to a long-term care facility, that the continuity of care is not lost<\/strong>: the healthcare professionals who treated the patient in the hospital can continue to do so, or at the very least remain available within the same facility. <\/p>\n

      Living in a nursing home does not mean moving away from medical care into a purely supportive environment, but rather finding a balance between the two aspects: a home, with its own rhythms and spaces of freedom, that nevertheless remains part of a care system ready to respond when needed. This is the same principle that guides the facility\u2019s daily work: ensuring the highest possible level of healthcare without losing sight of the residents\u2019 individuality, habits, and needs. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A long-term care facility is not a hospital, but it is not simply a retirement home either, because the care provided is medical in every sense (not just nursing care), with a team that provides continuous care for the resident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4402525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4402524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-categorizzato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4402524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4402525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4402524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4402524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santabarbara.hospital\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4402524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}