Information for Patients and Caregivers

Advance Care Planning
Let your health wishes be known through an Advance Health Care Directive.

Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia

End of Life Care (Includes decision making information about CPR, mechanical ventilation, artificial hydration and nutrition and kidney dialysis)

A Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) – commonly called a nursing home or care facility –provides 24-hour nursing care and supervision for patients who need ongoing care. Patients may enter a SNF for support with health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, or for rehabilitation after surgery, stroke, or heart attack.

• A skilled nursing facility provides care that is different from what a hospital offers. In a care facility, most patients are more medically stable than those in a hospital, even though they may require ongoing care. Skilled nursing facilities work to promote rehabilitation and independence.
• Healthcare teams of physicians, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, as well as physical and occupational therapists work to help improve, monitor, and support recovery for patients.
• The Healthcare team provides support for day-to-day functioning, chronic medical conditions, and nutritional problems, as well as assisting with patients’ emotional and physical well-being.

To learn more about skilled nursing care, click here to view this short video.

Grief and Grieving

Medications:

Drug Encyclopedia
What to ask about your medications

Additional Information

The Administration of Aging provides a wealth of information about government benefits available to older Americans and their caregivers. It includes links to topics such as Alzheimer's, choosing a nursing home, prescription medicines, retirement, financial planniing and women and aging.

The American Pain Foundation is a nonprofit information resource and patient advocacy organization serving people with pain and offering assistance to family, friends, caregivers and the general public.

The California Department of Aging administers a broad range of home and community based services throughout California, working primarly with the area agencies on aging who serve seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers.

Family Caregiver Alliance addresses the needs of families and friends providing long term care at home to the ill and elderly. This site offers online support groups, newsletters, eduation and resources for family caregivers. This a a California based site but has valuable information for all. Newsletter is also available in Spanish.

Find classes on "Aging and Senior Care" at your local Kaiser Permanente facility.

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.