• New Hampshire has several county-run nursing homes that provide care for the frail, ill or elderly. Residents receive a room, meals and activities, as well as medical and rehabilitative treatment. Services that county nursing homes offer vary by facility but may include both long-term and hospice care, Alzheimer's and dementia units, rehabilitation and post-hospitalization treatment, and assisted living and adult day programs.
  
  

Admission

• All county nursing homes in New Hampshire give priority to applicants who are residents of the county where the nursing home is, although some facilities make limited exceptions. Full medical records and a doctor's referral are required for admission to county nursing homes, and some facilities request additional exams, such as tuberculosis screening. Medical records and sometimes in-person visits are used to assess a person's placement or services within a home. If a bed is not presently available, most facilities keep a waiting list. County nursing homes also have social workers or other staff on hand to guide families through the admissions process.
  
  

Medicaid

• Individuals unable to afford the cost of nursing home care should apply for New Hampshire Medicaid financial eligibility and long-term care medical eligibility. These programs help pay the cost of a nursing home. The closest New Hampshire ServiceLink Resource Center can walk you through the application process, which will include a face-to-face assessment of medical eligibility and a financial evaluation. To be eligible for Medicaid, the financial evaluation must show that the individual has a net monthly income less than that which Medicaid pays for nursing home care and a resource limit not exceeding $2,500, as of 2010. Most residents of New Hampshire county nursing homes are Medicaid recipients, although facilities also accept private pay and third-party insurance.
  
  

Pre-Admission Visit

• New Hampshire county nursing homes also suggest making a pre-admission visit to the facility. During this visit, you should meet with nursing home staff to assess the services and communicate your loved one's needs. You may also want to take a tour and speak with residents and their families to evaluate the residents' quality of life in the nursing home.