Sancta Maria in Cambridge, MA, runs a nursing home, and skilled nursing belongs to it too. It also has hospice care and respite care. Nursing support at both levels is ongoing, and hospice care serves residents nearing the end of life. A family whose caregiver has surgery coming up can use respite to cover their recovery period. Sancta Maria has 141 beds in all.
Of the three payment routes, Medicare is the narrowest, since it pays only for short skilled care after hospitalization, never for long-term residence. Medicaid comes in when savings fall short over a long residence, and private pay means paying the bill directly. Every resident averages four hours and twelve minutes of nursing time a day.





