Let's Talk About the Rights of Every Nursing Home Resident
Each and every resident of a nursing home in the United States has certain rights guaranteed by the law - and every nursing home is required to make sure new residents receive a written form listing all of those rights. Again and again, I see cases where the rights of the elderly are simply ignored in the name of making a profit. Too many nursing home corporations decide to save hundreds of thousands - and even millions - of dollars by under-staffing their homes. When that happens, the care given to the residents declines sharply.
Here are just a few of the rights that every nursing home resident has under the law of this country and our state:
* Right Number 1: Treatment with dignity and respect at all times.
* Right Number 2: Notice in writing about services and fees before entering the facility.
* Right Number 3: The ability to manage the resident's own money or to choose someone else to do this.
* Right Number 4: Privacy, and to keep and use the resident's own personal belongings and property.
* Right Number 5: To be informed about the resident's medical condition, medications, and to see their own doctor.
* Right Number 6: To refuse medications and to refuse treatments.
* Right Number 7: To choose the resident's own bedtime, schedule, activities and other preferences.
* Right Number 8: An environment that is more like a real home - where the resident's comfort is maximized, and where the resident is given the help to be as independent as possible.
