Dignity & Respect
Residents have the right to be treated with this basic human quality.
What is dignity?
Discussing a resident's needs or condition in the hallway violates this right.
What is privacy?
Yelling, threatening, or humiliating a resident is this type of abuse.
What is verbal or emotional abuse?
This right ensures that residents can choose their own schedules, including when they go to bed, when they get up, and when they prefer to eat their meals. daily schedule, including this morning activity.
What is the right to choose daily activities/schedules and the right to independence?
Residents have the right to voice a grievance without fear of this—which includes any form of punishment, threat, or discrimination from staff.
What is retaliation?
This right ensures that residents are spoken to and treated as adults, which includes avoiding the use of "sweetie," "honey," or any other nickname unless preferred by the resident.
What is respect?
Medical information is protected under this federal law?
What is HIPAA?
Failure to provide necessary care, such as food or hygiene, is called this.
What is neglect?
Residents may refuse this, even if staff or family disagree.
What is treatment or medication? And ANYTHING!
This advocate is a representative who investigates and resolves complaints made by or on behalf of residents in long-term care facilities.
Who is the ombudsman?
To respect a resident's private space, staff should always perform this simple action and wait for a response before entering a resident's room.
What is knocking?
Beyond just medical info, residents have a right to privacy regarding these—which include their social security number, birthdate, and financial records.
What is personal information? This includes your information being left up on computer screens in the hallway or physical records being left unsecured and unattended.
Taking a resident's money without permission (even if it's one penny) is this type of abuse.
What is financial exploitation?
This right ensures that a resident can choose their own attending physician and be fully informed about their medical condition and treatment plan.
What is the right to self-determination?
Residents must be informed of discharge rights in this manner.
What is written notice?
(Which must also include a safe discharge location, discharge date, reason for discharge, ombudsman information, and right to appeal).
This right allows residents to interact with members of the community both inside and outside the facility, and includes the right to vote and practice their chosen religion.
What is the "rights of citizens"?
Under the Right to Privacy, this action is strictly prohibited without prior written authorization, even if the intent is to show a "fun" facility activity on the company's social media or to send as a text message to another person.
What is filming or taking a picture of a resident?
Many people think "Privacy" only means closing a curtain. These questions help staff realize that privacy is also digital (social media/records), legal (mail/lawyers), and social (choosing who gets to visit).
If a staff member witnesses or suspects abuse, they are legally required to do this immediately, regardless of whether they have "proof" yet.
What is report it to Adult Protective Services, Department of Licensing, and the Ombudsman? (What is report it? is also accepted).
Residents have the right to manage their own financial affairs, or they can choose to have the facility do it by signing this type of account agreement.
What is a Resident Trust Fund or Personal Needs Account?
Residents have the right to meet with this type of organized group of fellow residents to discuss concerns and suggest improvements without facility staff present.
What is a resident council?
This right ensures that residents can have visitors of their choosing at any time, as long as it doesn't infringe upon the rights of others, and includes the right to "reasonable access" to private communication.
What is the right to visitors and unrestricted communication?
You have the right to choose who visits and the right to change your mind at any time!
Federal rights protect all communication between residents and this advocate unless the resident gives explicit permission to share.
Who is the ombudsman?
This term describes a situation where a resident’s own behaviors threaten their own health or safety, requiring the facility to intervene with a care plan.
What is self-neglect?
Staff are required to balance resident rights and maintaining the safety of their residents. Often, communication can be the key to help do this.
Residents have the right to manage this personal resource unless deemed incompetent by a Judge or 2 doctors.
What are their finances and decisions?
After a resident or family member files a formal grievance, the facility is required to provide a written decision or summary of the investigation within a specific timeframe outlined here.
What is in the facility's written policy?