Long-Term Care Settings

Long-term care (LTC) facilities provide a variety of medical and non-medical services designed to meet a person’s health or personal care needs during a short or long period of time. These settings may include but are not limited to nursing homes (NH)/skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, assisted living facilities (ALF), hospice, and senior day care services.

Special considerations for infection prevention in these settings

  • An increasing number of individuals in the United States is receiving care in LTC facilities. These residents have growing medical complexity and care needs and increasing exposure to indwelling medical devices and antibiotics.
  • Patients/residents may transfer in and out of long-term care with some frequency, so appropriate communication of medical history, including antibiotic use, devices, past infections, and risk factors is critical.

Hot Topics:

Quick Guides for Nursing Homes: This new series of resources is for infection preventionists in nursing homes. These quick guides cover key concepts and action items on each topic, including how to communicate with residents and staff. Great for new IPs as well as anyone who needs guidance at their fingertips!


Infection Prevention Information and Resources for LTC

Resources to assist providers, administrators, LTC infection preventionists, and health department personnel with infection prevention and control in the long-term care setting.

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Last Updated: August 23, 2024