An extended care facility for patients who need continued health care, usually after a hospital stay. Nursing homes provide 24-hr nursing supervision, rehabilitation services, activity and social services, a safe environment, careful attention to nutritional needs, and measures to prevent complications of decreased mobility. In addition, some nursing homes have specialty units for patients with dementia, chronic ventilator support, or head injuries. Some nursing homes provide subacute units for patients who are not as medically stable as patients in the typical nursing home setting.

Most nursing homes are licensed and certified to provide an intermediate or skilled level of care or both. Medicare reimbursement is available for patients receiving skilled care in a skilled nursing facility (approximately 40% of nursing home payments come from state Medicaid funding for intermediate nursing home care).

Patients who are admitted to nursing homes are called residents. In the U.S. about 2.2 million people (6% of the population) reside in nursing homes. The nursing home should provide a homelike environment for each resident. Residents vary in age from 18 to over 100. Many facilities support residents who stay for several days or weeks to receive rehabilitation services, e.g., for orthopedic surgeries and strokes. Other residents may remain in the nursing home for the remainder of their lives.