Mom is in Rehab for a broken ankle right now. She has mobility problems and needs help using her walker, getting in and out of bed, using the toilet and getting on her power chair. She wants to go back to her Independent Living apartment. The Social Worker at Rehab says that Assisted Living wouldn't give her the care she needs. Having no mental difficulties, she'd be miserable in a Nursing Home. The sites I've been on don't mention aides who are trained to help people in their own homes with mobility issues. She doesn't need just a companion, she needs a companion who can help her with these issues.
While Mom and her friends at IL talk freely about the time when they will go to AL (after all, other friends have already moved there), they all talk about NH in hushed tones. They pretty much consider a nursing home to be a funeral home. It's a beautiful nursing home. . . .but they all know that it's the last stop of the train.
My mom was in IL & in her 90's and she went from IL to NH and bypassed AL phase. For her, this has been a great decision. She has Lewy Body Dementia is still ambulatory with a walker, can potty on her own and loves to do arts & crafts. Her current NH is her 2nd and a much better fit for what she likes to do. Not all NH are alike. Many have very good Activities departments and the residents can keep busy and do stuff. My mom's current NH activites director has them options to go on shopping trips, luncheons out, etc. There is a garden they can go out and mess with. They did a whole easter egg painting and hunt for the employees kids to participate in on Good Friday. These are some of the same things she did in her old IL. But now she has the higher level of medical oversight that she needs. The key is finding the type of NH that does this. It's good you are speaking with the social worker - I've found they are an incredible resource and if they don't have suggestions, they are going to know who to contact at another facility who might know. Rehab coverage from Medicare is limited, so if you need to find a NH the clock is ticking on finding one for her and getting her in before she gets discharged from rehab. Good luck.