Long-Term Care Residents: Do You Know Your Rights?
October is a significant month for US seniors: it’s Older Americans Month as well as Residents’ Rights Month.
Here in Warwick, Mayor Joseph Solomon took things a step further by signing a proclamation that declared it to be Residents’ Rights Month in the city, as well. Joanne Leonard, CEO of the nonprofit Alliance for Better Long-Term Care, says that this proclamation “shows that Warwick stands for the quality of care for its residents.”
With the some of the highest percentages of older adult residents in the country, the matter of nursing home residents’ rights is a pressing one in Rhode Island. In Warwick alone, there are more than 1,200 nursing home and assisted living beds.
The Alliance of Better Long-Term Care and the state-designated Long-Term Care Ombudsman are using Residents’ Rights Month, which has been observed since 1981, to make sure that citizens living in long-term facilities know their rights.
These rights are guaranteed by the Federal Nursing Home Reform Law. Here are just a few of the guaranteed rights:
- The right to be treated with consideration, respect and dignity
- The right to be fully informed and participate in your own care
- The right to voice your concerns
- The right of access to health records
- The right to manage your financial affairs
- The right to privacy and confidentiality
- The right to prepare for a safe and orderly discharge or transfer
Learn about the complete rights of residents of long-term care facilities in this Nursing Home Residents’ Rights fact sheet.