Skilled Nursing Facilities and Long Term Care Facilities are two of the main options for patients recovering from a serious injury or operation.

A tracheostomy is a surgical incision through the neck and your trachea that provides an alternative breathing airway. A tracheostomy tube is placed to help a patient breathe without any obstruction.

In your search for the right medical facility, you may have come across this term — but what is a skilled nursing facility, exactly, and who needs one?