Mental Health Support in Skilled Nursing Facilities in AZ: Addressing Anxiety and Depression
While skilled nursing facilities are known for providing physical care for patients, they also play a significant role in helping to maintain their mental health. The staff is committed to supporting patients’ mental health by offering services that can help address conditions such as depression and anxiety. We will explore how this is done and share the services Santé provides if you are searching for skilled nursing facilities in AZ.
What is a Skilled Nursing Facility?
A skilled nursing facility is where people can stay temporarily after being discharged from the hospital for an illness or injury, before transitioning back home.[1] Skilled nursing facilities provide care such as speech and occupational therapy, wound management, and many other services to help patients get back on their feet so they can return home with confidence.
Mental Health Support at Skilled Nursing Facilities in Az
Skilled nursing facilities support patients’ mental health by providing a variety of services. These include:
Medication Management
The team at skilled nursing facilities provides medication management services. This ensures patients take their medications correctly as they heal from their conditions. This can include medicines they are taking for their current condition or ones that may have been previously prescribed for depression or anxiety. Ensuring that these medicines are being taken correctly can help patients to maintain their mental health. At a skilled nursing facility, these medications can also be adjusted as needed, and any side effects can be monitored.
Recreational Activities
Many skilled nursing patients can still participate in activities that keep them active and social. Being active, whether physically or socially, releases feel-good endorphins that can help boost mood and self-esteem.[2] It also helps to reduce stress and anxiety, which are essential to maintaining good mental health.
Additionally, skilled nursing facilities may host movie nights or provide games and puzzles to keep patients active. Light physical activities may also be offered for patients who can participate. Activities can help keep the mind and body active, which is important for recovery and mental health.
Attentive Staff
The staff at skilled nursing facilities is also trained to detect mental health issues in patients. If they notice signs of depression, anxiety, or another condition, they can alert a patient’s doctor, who can look into the issues further. It is crucial to detect mental health concerns when they arise and address them before they become worse. If a patient was recovering at home alone, these issues may not have been detected earlier, leading to further problems down the road.
Mental Health Assessments
A skilled nursing facility can provide mental health assessments to ensure that patients who need mental health care are receiving it. These assessments can determine a patient’s mental state and whether they will benefit from therapy or other types of interventions.
Explore Skilling Nursing Facilities in AZ with Santé
At Santé, our team works to support the mental health of all patients who reside at our skilled nursing facilities. We provide the care each patient needs, depending on their condition. Our services include occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, among other medical services.
Our skilled nursing facilities provide private suites with kitchenettes, world-class exercise equipment, and therapy sessions to help patients reach their recovery goals. Nutritious meals are also served to help patients maintain the stamina they need during their recovery.
Santé has four convenient locations where patients can receive skilled nursing care. These are located in Chandler, Mesa, North Scottsdale, and Surprise, AZ. Contact us today to learn more about our skilled nursing facilities and how they can help you or a loved one.
Sources:
- https://www.medicare.gov/providers-services/original-medicare/skilled-nursing
- https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/physical-activity-and-mental-health
Dan is Vice President, Marketing of the Alumus family of companies. A Seattle native, he earned his BA in Humanities and Political Science at Evergreen State College. He started his career as a newspaper columnist, eventually transitioning into marketing and tech writing for Microsoft and several other startups. He later launched a successful creative agency focused on branding, digital marketing, and content production in Los Angeles, where he worked for several nursing and behavioral health clients, eventually becoming the National Marketing Director for one of them.
He has taught Vipassana mindfulness meditation and MBSR and spends whatever free time he has with his son snowboarding, hiking, and camping in the mountains.
