Long-term care at Sadie G. Mays Health & Rehabilitation Center provides 24-hour nursing supervision, physician oversight, and daily-living support for residents whose needs continue indefinitely rather than ending after a defined recovery period.
Sadie G. Mays Health & Rehabilitation Center is a 206-bed, 501(c)(3) nonprofit skilled nursing facility in northwest Atlanta, founded in 1947.
Georgia Medicaid typically funds long-term care once Medicare Part A coverage ends.
Deciding on long-term care under time pressure is stressful. The Sadie G. Mays admissions team helps families compare options and timelines before deciding.
Long-term care is a category of medical and personal-support services for people who cannot live independently without ongoing help, typically needed for a year or longer rather than for a defined recovery period.
Long-term care can be delivered in several settings, including assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities.
In a skilled nursing facility, long-term care residents receive the same clinical infrastructure as short-term rehab patients—licensed nursing staff, physician oversight, and therapy access—but for an open-ended duration tied to the resident’s condition.
The federal Administration for Community Living maintains longtermcare.gov as a national planning resource for families weighing these settings for the first time.
Long-term care is structured around sustained, ongoing needs, while short-term rehabilitation is built around a defined recovery goal and a planned discharge date.
A resident entering short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay typically returns home once therapy goals are met; a long-term care resident’s care plan continues as needs change rather than closing out at a fixed point.
Feature | Long-Term Care | Short-Term Rehab |
Typical duration | Ongoing, often a year or more | Weeks to a few months |
Goal | Sustained daily support and medical management | Return to prior living situation after a defined recovery |
Discharge planning | Not applicable; care continues as needs change | Built in from admission, tied to therapy goals |
Primary payer | Georgia Medicaid, after Medicare Part A ends | Medicare Part A (up to 100 days, subject to eligibility) |
Long-term care residents at Sadie G. Mays receive continuous nursing supervision, along with the personal care and social support needed for daily life in a residential setting.
A geriatric-certified Medical Director and registered nurses supervise long-term care residents around the clock, with on-call physicians and nurse practitioners available for chronic and complex conditions.
Residents with diagnoses including heart disease, stroke (CVA), renal disease, cancer, and dementia or Alzheimer’s disease receive care from staff trained in those conditions.
Complex conditions need close clinical oversight, not just supervision. The Sadie G. Mays care team builds each resident’s care plan with ongoing family input.
Medicare Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing care per benefit period as a maximum, not a guaranteed entitlement — coverage continues only for as long as the resident still requires daily skilled nursing or therapy services, and it does not cover custodial long-term care once that need ends.
Medicare Part A covers days 1 through 20 in full, and days 21 through 100 carry a $217 daily coinsurance in 2026.
Most beneficiaries must first have a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days, though CMS recognizes limited waiver exceptions under certain Medicare Advantage and accountable care arrangements.
Medicare generally does not cover a nursing-home stay when custodial care—help with daily activities rather than skilled treatment—is the only care a resident needs. Georgia Medicaid becomes the primary payer for most residents once Medicare coverage ends.v
Payer | What It Covers (2026) | What It Doesn’t Cover | Key Requirement |
Medicare Part A | Up to 100 days of skilled nursing per benefit period, as a maximum subject to continued eligibility; days 1–20 full coverage, days 21–100 at $217/day coinsurance | Custodial long-term care, and any day the resident no longer needs daily skilled care | Qualifying 3-day inpatient hospital stay (exceptions apply under some Medicare Advantage/waiver arrangements) |
Georgia Medicaid | Ongoing custodial long-term care for eligible residents | Non-covered amenities above the Medicaid rate | Monthly income ≤ $2,982 and countable assets ≤ $2,000 (single applicant) |
Families can compare Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities, including staffing and inspection data, through CMS Care Compare.
Long-term care costs at a Georgia skilled nursing facility depend mainly on which payer covers the stay, since Medicare’s 100-day maximum means most long-term residents rely on Georgia Medicaid rather than private pay.
Georgia Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care in 2026 requires monthly income at or below $2,982 and countable assets at or below $2,000 for a single applicant, administered through the Georgia Department of Community Health.
Families typically work with the facility’s admissions team or an elder law attorney to confirm eligibility.
The step-by-step guide to Georgia Medicaid eligibility outlines the five-year look-back period and documentation requirements, and the complete 2026 guide to paying for skilled nursing care covers Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and private-pay options side by side.
Families file applications for Georgia Medicaid nursing home coverage directly with the state agency once they have assembled the financial documentation.
Admission to long-term care at Sadie G. Mays begins with a call to the admissions team to review a resident’s medical needs, financial situation, and timeline.
Families who are still evaluating whether the timing is right can review signs it’s time to consider long-term care for a loved one before starting the admissions process.
What is long-term care?
Long-term care is medical and personal support for people who cannot live independently, typically needed for a year or longer. It differs from short-term rehabilitation because it addresses sustained needs rather than a defined recovery period, and it can be provided in assisted living or skilled nursing settings.
How is long-term care different from short-term rehab?
Long-term care supports ongoing, open-ended needs, while short-term rehab targets a specific recovery goal with a planned discharge date. Long-term care is typically funded through Georgia Medicaid; short-term rehab is typically covered by Medicare Part A for up to 100 days per benefit period.
Does Medicare cover long-term care?
Medicare Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing care per benefit period, following a qualifying three-day hospital stay, but only while the resident still needs daily skilled care. It does not cover custodial long-term care once that need ends, and in 2026 it has a $217 daily coinsurance for days 21–100.
Does Georgia Medicaid cover long-term care?
Georgia Medicaid covers ongoing custodial long-term care for residents who meet 2026 eligibility limits: monthly income at or below $2,982 and countable assets at or below $2,000 for a single applicant. Most long-term residents rely on Medicaid once Medicare coverage ends.
What conditions do long-term care residents typically have?
Long-term care residents commonly live with chronic or progressive conditions such as heart disease, stroke, renal disease, cancer, or dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These conditions require ongoing medical supervision rather than a single course of treatment, so long-term placement is usually indefinite.
Can a resident keep the same doctor at a skilled nursing facility?
Some facilities allow residents to continue seeing their existing physician, while others rely on on-site staff physicians and nurse practitioners for daily oversight. Families should confirm the facility’s specific policy on outside physicians during the admissions process before finalizing placement.
How does a family know if a loved one needs long-term care?
A loved one with a chronic illness or disability requiring constant medical attention and help with daily activities is generally a candidate for long-term care. A physician or geriatric care manager can conduct a formal needs assessment to confirm the appropriate level of care.
What is the difference between a nursing home and assisted living?
A nursing home, or skilled nursing facility, provides 24-hour licensed nursing care for medically complex residents. Assisted living supports daily activities like bathing and dressing but lacks on-shift nurses and cannot manage complex or unstable medical conditions.
How does a family start the admission process for long-term care?
A family starts by contacting the facility’s admissions team to discuss the resident’s medical needs, confirm the payer source, and schedule a tour. Submit medical records and physician orders before admission, along with a Medicaid application if long-term coverage is anticipated.
Is long-term care the same for every resident?
No, a long-term care plan is built around each resident’s specific diagnosis, mobility level, and daily support needs, then reviewed and adjusted at scheduled care plan conferences with family participation as the resident’s condition changes over time.
Long-term care is ongoing medical and personal support for residents whose needs continue indefinitely, distinct from short-term rehab’s defined recovery period.
Medicare Part A covers only the first 100 days per benefit period, subject to continued eligibility; Georgia Medicaid, with a 2026 individual income limit of $2,982/month and a $2,000 asset limit, funds most care beyond that point.
Sadie G. Mays provides both levels of care from one northwest Atlanta campus.
A long-term care decision changes a family’s daily life. Call the Sadie G. Mays admissions team at 678-420-2946 to discuss your options.
