A change in circumstance can leave you with a lot of questions. Virginia Health Services provides a continuum of care that includes independent living, assisted living, nursing and rehabilitation, home health care, outpatient physical, speech and occupational rehabilitation, and hospice.
We encourage you to look through some frequently asked questions here and reach out to us for any additional information using the contact form below. We look forward to speaking with you!
Virginia Health Services’ independent living community, The Arbors in Newport News, is for active seniors 55 years and older. Private apartment homes come with full kitchens, and amenities include restaurant-style meal service, housekeeping and concierge services.
Assisted living communities, such as The Huntington and The Hamilton, are for those who need assistance with activities of daily life (ADLs). A nursing staff is available 24/7 and all private apartment homes have emergency response systems, such as pull cords in the bathrooms. Assistance with medication management, toileting, dressing and bathing is available. Meals, housekeeping, activities and more are included.
A senior living community is open to those who still are independent or need some assistance while living in a private apartment. A nursing and rehabilitation center offers skilled care, or for those who need it, long-term care, and accommodations can be private or semi-private rooms, meals that meet dietary needs, and 24/7 nursing staff with routine medication management.
Virginia Health Services has a continuing line of care that includes senior living options, nursing and rehabilitation centers, home health care, outpatient rehab and hospice. VHS can help you find the right services based on your changing healthcare needs, and with internal record sharing, make the transition between services as smooth as possible.
Yes, tours of our independent living and assisted living communities are available. You’ll be able to see the common areas, taste the food and view model apartments. Ask about staying in the Bed & Breakfast room for an immersive experience of the community.
Virginia Health Services’ senior living communities offer a variety of pricing models. Base rates include your private apartment, meals, housekeeping and linen services, activities and concierge services.
Virginia Health Services does not require an entrance fee to live in its communities.
Virginia Health Services home and community-based care includes VHS Home Health Care. Home health care may be a good option for someone with:
• Frequent hospitalizations
• Frequent falls or history of falls
• Problems with medication regimen
• Recent surgery or hospitalization
• Multiple health problems and/or new conditions
• Multiple or no caregivers
• Arthritis and joint disorders
• Neurological disorders
Skilled care is prescribed by a physician to an individual who needs physical, occupational and/or speech therapy and extra assistance in recovering from a significant illness or injury, such as a stroke, heart condition or joint replacement.
Long-term care is for individuals who no longer can care for themselves. They need daily help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and medication management.
Respite care is a short-term stay to provide a break to a caregiver. Memory Care is in a secure unit for those with memory-impairments that include being prone to wandering. Memory Care currently is offered at Virginia Health Services’ Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. A Memory Care unit will open at Lancashire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in fall 2024.
Your physician will help determine your rehabilitation needs, which may be for post-acute care, such as after a stroke, with trained nursing staff and therapists. Each Virginia Health Services nursing and rehabilitation center has a therapy room onsite and schedule sessions with physical, occupational and speech therapists from VHS Rehabilitation.
Your initial therapy evaluation may not take place until the next business day, depending on the time of day you are admitted to a facility. Our services are individualized and each person has different tolerance levels, which are evaluated during your first few sessions. There are times your therapy schedule may change slightly due to other residents needing treatment pre- or post-specialist appointments out of the facility.
Don’t let it become a last-minute decision if you can help it. Ask your physician and talk with friends and relatives who have had someone in a nursing and rehabilitation center. Meet the staff and visit the center if you can. Consider the center’s size and location, ask about the activities program and dietary considerations. Choose what best fits your health care and living needs.
Nursing and rehabilitation center care often is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurances. All VHS nursing and rehabilitation centers accept Medicare and most commercial insurances. The Newport does not accept Medicaid. Walter Reed is one of the only regional facilities offering Memory Care where Medicaid also is accepted. For more details on financial considerations, click here.
These care services are available to residents 24/7:
Your admissions process at a facility begins with a Resident Navigator. A Resident Navigator helps ease the transition and welcomes new Residents and their families. The Resident Navigator eases the burden of admission by being a consistent friendly face through what can be a difficult time in those individual’s lives. The team will make sure a new Resident’s room is in order, contacts the family before arrival to answer any questions and is a part of the discharge planning process.
Your stay begins with a meeting to individualize your care plan. The center’s nursing staff, social worker, dietician, recreation director and therapist will meet with the individual and their loved ones to determine daily care needs, schedule services and make sure meals fit dietary needs.
Breakfast is served 7:30-8:30 a.m., lunch noon-1 p.m. and dinner 5:30-6:30 p.m. Residents may receive trays in their room. The menus rotate weekly. Alternative meals are available if a different meal item is requested.
Our rooms are furnished. Private rooms have a television. If the room does not have a TV, a complimentary cable connection is provided and the facility’s team can help connect a personal television. Mobile phones are welcome. Rooms do not have direct extensions.
Residents may bring items to cozy up the space, including blankets, pictures, toiletries – anything to help adjust. Toiletries, such as shampoo, soap, combs, hair brushes, hand mirrors, etc., should be labeled. We suggest leaving items of value with a loved one for safe keeping.
Yes. Our facilities can accommodate small refrigerated items for up to three days. They must be labeled with the resident’s name and date, and be in airtight containers (if applicable). Dry items may be kept in the resident’s room. We ask those items be kept tidy to avoid attracting unwanted pests.
We recommend a week’s worth of clothing. We want everyone to be up and dressed daily. Please label clothing with the resident’s last name in an inconspicuous place (such as the collar or pants waist band). We offer laundry services at all of our facilities, and the Resident Navigator can discuss those options.
Yes. Visitation is an important part of ensuring our residents live their best life! Our residents are allowed to have visitors of their choosing at any time, as long as it does not impose on another resident. The entrance doors are locked at designated times each evening for security. We encourage visitors to defer their visit if they have signs and symptoms of transmissible infections. Read more details here.
Yes, you may schedule a remote visit with residents at our nursing and rehabilitation centers here.
As part of Virginia Health Services’ commitment to provide our residents with the best care and quality of life, we offer DaVita dialysis at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hampton. This means residents on dialysis can dialyze conveniently and comfortably—with no more trips to a dialysis center. By removing the need to travel to treatment, residents may experience reduced stress and benefit from smoother care coordination between our care team, your nephrologist and your on-site DaVita care team. Additionally, residents receive safe, high-quality therapy from a dialysis leader with 20 years of experience, and established and proven clinical procedures. All of this may ultimately lead to a better quality of life for our residents.
Any physician-assigned rehabilitation that takes place out of the hospital is considered outpatient rehab. VHS Rehabilitation offers physical, occupational and speech therapy in VHS independent living, assisted living and nursing and rehabilitation centers, through VHS Home Health Care and at its outpatient location in Port Warwick in Newport News.
VHS Rehabilitation also can provide services in schools, localities, detention centers and more.
VHS Rehabilitation offers physical, occupational and speech therapy. Our team of trained, certified therapists work to return individuals to their highest levels of function.
We create an individualized program so appropriate functional skills can be identified, learned and reinforced.
Home health care may be a good option for someone with:
• Frequent hospitalizations
• Frequent falls or history of falls
• Needs frequent assistance with medication regimen
• Recent surgery or hospitalization
• Multiple health problems and/or new conditions
• Multiple or no caregivers
• Arthritis and joint disorders
• Neurological disorders
VHS Home Health Care will verify all referrals for insurance benefits and coverage, and notify the individual before providing service of any out-of-pocket costs.
Medicare’s requirements include:
· The individual must be home-bound.
· The individual requires periodic and intermittent care. It cannot be continuous or required daily.
· Care must be ordered by the individual’s physician.
· A care plan must be established and reviewed periodically by a physician.
· Documentation of an in-person interaction between the physician and individual.
Home health care can be an effective and lower cost alternative to in-patient care and allow an individual to recover in the privacy and comfort of their home. Data shows individuals can recover more quickly and fully at home while not being exposed to potential infection and other complications that occur in the hospital.
Individuals recovering at home can feel more motivated since they are in a familiar and comfortable setting, which can lead to better outcomes and shorter recovery times.
Home health care also can be an affordable option if the individual meets eligibility requirements. Care is covered 100% by Medicare when eligibility requirements are met. Medicaid and commercial insurance policies also cover home health care but may have a copay for services.
If an individual’s home health care needs change, Virginia Health Services offers a continuing line of care that includes assisted living, and skilled nursing and rehab. An individual also may be referred to VHS Home Health Care following skilled care at a nursing and rehabilitation center.
VHS Home Health Care makes it easy for physicians to refer individuals. Our team responds quickly once a referral is made, and when able, we provide onsite coordination of care in continual contact with the physician.
VHS Hospice provides compassionate care to individuals with a terminal illness who are given a life expectancy of six months or less. Its focus is to keep individuals comfortable and provide counseling to the individual and their loved ones.
It is different from palliative care. Palliative care is intended to be curative and can be pursued at any time after a diagnosis, whether illness is terminal or not.
While originally developed for individuals with cancer at end of term, VHS Hospice covers non-cancer conditions as well, including terminal heart, liver, kidney and lung conditions.
Hospice care can be pursued after two physicians certify an individual has a prognosis of six months or fewer to live. Hospice care may last more than six months, depending on the progression of the illness.
VHS Hospice provides care wherever the individual resides and feels the most comfortable: at their home, hospital, assisted living or nursing center.
VHS Hospice supports an individual with a team that includes nursing staff, social worker, counseling, and spiritual care specialists.
Our team will review medications an individual is prescribed to ensure they are necessary and covered. VHS Hospice also can provide additional pain medication and symptom management.
Medical equipment will be provided and covered if it is related to an individual’s terminal illness. VHS Hospice will deliver and ensure medical equipment is covered as it relates to the individual’s illness.
VHS Hospice can help train at-home caregivers to monitor individuals as they decline. Our team can provide training to help caregivers help individuals with ADLs, such as toileting, and other best practices.
Respite care also can be arranged at Virginia Health Services facilities to help cover a caregiver’s needs.
VHS Hospice accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurances.
A spiritual care specialist will be part of an individual’s care team. VHS Hospice will provide bereavement follow-up for the individual’s family and support team. A bereavement counselor will help the individual and their family if they want additional support, including one-on-one meetings, support groups, and periodic follow-up calls.
We are always on the lookout for compassionate and thoughtful volunteers to assist those in our care, their caregivers and our team members. You’ll provide emotional support and companionship. We provide all the necessary training. Submit an interest form here.
HAVE SOME MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS?
CORPORATE OFFICE
240 NAT TURNER BLVD.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606
757-596-6268
COPYRIGHT © 2024
VIRGINIA HEALTH SERVICES
Seven Virginia Health Services apprentice program students graduated from Care Assistants to Nurse Aides during a ceremony Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at the EEE Center
