There are two types of nursing facilities associated with residential facilities. Intermediate care facilities which provide custodial and intermediate care, and skilled nursing facilities, which provide custodial, intermediate, and skilled care. Intermediate care provides basic medical care.
Skilled care provides more intensive medical care.
Individuals are attended by professional nurses operating under the direction of physicians. They may be freestanding or part of a senior community, and are licensed by state and local health agencies. An intermediate care facility is licensed by the state to provide 24-hour basic medical care under the supervision of a registered nurse who may be on call and not necessarily on duty. Basic medical care includes rehabilitative and recuperative care, but not more intensive medical procedures such as intravenous therapy and feeding tubes. A skilled nursing facility is also licensed by the state and provides 24-hour nursing care with at least one registered nurse on duty during the day.