Keeping in mind the purpose of in-patient skilled care in west Texas, which is to take care of patients who are too healthy to be in the hospital but too ill to be at home, the sort of care that would be given is probably not too hard to guess.   But, of course, for each patient it will be just a little bit different.  Some patients are really, really weak and frail and they will probably never actually leave the facility because they will never be able to take care of themselves and they do not have family that is capable of taking care of them.   Other patients who receive in-patient skilled care in west Texas are pretty healthy and will be returning home at some point, they just need some temporary more extensive therapy to get them ready to be on their own again. 

A skilled care facility will typically offer their patients all the medical treatment prescribed by their doctor.  This can be something like making sure blood sugar stays within a certain range and that insulin is being given to counteract any spikes.  It could also mean checking blood work every day or so to make sure that the medicine the patient is taking is not  leading to serious side effects.  It could also mean checking for infection periodically by culturing blood or urine and then analyzing the results as they come in a day or so later.  Basically, the patient is getting treatment like they would in a hospital but at a much cheaper cost, which is always good for the insurance company paying the bill. 

The in-patient skilled care in west Texas facility also will usually offer, if the patient is capable of participating in it, physical therapy to help keep muscles and joints mobile and functioning, occupational therapy to help the patient with life skills, and speech therapy which works with swallowing ability as well as speaking.   They will also offer services to the patients such as case management work making sure that they are getting the insurance coverage they need and the treatment they need to be progressing.  Usually they will also work with social services to make sure that if the patient will be returning home that the home is safe, that the family is capable of taking care of them, and that they have all their needs met.