Advocating for an Aging Relative During a Skilled Nursing Facility Stay: Managing Opportunities and Challenges

Approximately 20% of hospitalized older adults (age 65 and older) are discharged to a skilled nursing facility after a qualified hospital stay (G.M. Harper et al., eds., Geriatric Review Syllabus, 11th ed. [American Geriatrics Society, 2022]). The overarching goal of these stays is to assist in the patients’ recovery and rehabilitation so they can return home or move to a lower level of care such as assisted living.