Nursing Home Residents’ Rights
Jose A. Meza
Wayland Baptist University Abstract
When considering end of life care, long-term care facilities have and will continue to be a popular selection amongst the elderly and their family members. For most seniors, the transition into a nursing home can bring upon several mixed emotions of fear, anxiety, and a tendency to believe that all choices and personal dignity becomes lost or surrendered. In actuality, nursing home residents are entitled to many rights for which the organization must protect and promote. These rights are protected by several Federal and state laws that are no different than any other right outside the long-term care facility. It is the responsibility of the nursing home …show more content…
46). It is important that restraints, when utilized, be used briefly to permit medical treatment and removed promptly when no longer needed. The prolonged use of any restraint can have detrimental effects on a resident’s physical or mental status which may include: pressure sores from prolonged unrelieved pressure over a bony prominence; mental anguish and suffering from persistent feelings of confinement; and chronic episodes of constipation and incontinence. Due to the overwhelming reports of nursing home abuse and the attention that has surrounded the misuse of restraints in nursing homes, most organizations are now moving towards a restraint-free environment.
Another important right is the resident’s right to self-administer medications. The only caveat to this is that it must first be determined safe and practical by a resident’s interdisciplinary team. If and when it is determined to be safe for the resident to self-administer medications it must be noted and become a part of the resident’s care plan and may be subject to periodic review to assess the efficacy of its …show more content…
According to Allen (2015):
Exercising rights means that residents have autonomy and choice, to the maximum extent possible, about how they wish to live their everyday lives and receive care, subject to the facility’s rules, as long as those rules do not violate a regulatory requirement (p. 4).
The facility must not retaliate against a resident’s choice to exercise his/her rights, but instead should encourage the resident to participate towards reaching care planning goals. The resident has the right to choose what he or she wears, how free time is spent inside and outside the facility, a preferred provider, and organize and participate in resident council or other resident advisory groups (Residents' Rights: An Overview, 2011). There are many facets to this requirement and the nursing home must make every effort to create an environment that encourages a resident to voice and participate in preferred activities. Nursing home staff must routinely reassess a resident’s preferences and make adjustments about aspects of their lives that are important to them.
Transfer and
Jose A. Meza
Wayland Baptist University Abstract
When considering end of life care, long-term care facilities have and will continue to be a popular selection amongst the elderly and their family members. For most seniors, the transition into a nursing home can bring upon several mixed emotions of fear, anxiety, and a tendency to believe that all choices and personal dignity becomes lost or surrendered. In actuality, nursing home residents are entitled to many rights for which the organization must protect and promote. These rights are protected by several Federal and state laws that are no different than any other right outside the long-term care facility. It is the responsibility of the nursing home …show more content…
46). It is important that restraints, when utilized, be used briefly to permit medical treatment and removed promptly when no longer needed. The prolonged use of any restraint can have detrimental effects on a resident’s physical or mental status which may include: pressure sores from prolonged unrelieved pressure over a bony prominence; mental anguish and suffering from persistent feelings of confinement; and chronic episodes of constipation and incontinence. Due to the overwhelming reports of nursing home abuse and the attention that has surrounded the misuse of restraints in nursing homes, most organizations are now moving towards a restraint-free environment.
Another important right is the resident’s right to self-administer medications. The only caveat to this is that it must first be determined safe and practical by a resident’s interdisciplinary team. If and when it is determined to be safe for the resident to self-administer medications it must be noted and become a part of the resident’s care plan and may be subject to periodic review to assess the efficacy of its …show more content…
According to Allen (2015):
Exercising rights means that residents have autonomy and choice, to the maximum extent possible, about how they wish to live their everyday lives and receive care, subject to the facility’s rules, as long as those rules do not violate a regulatory requirement (p. 4).
The facility must not retaliate against a resident’s choice to exercise his/her rights, but instead should encourage the resident to participate towards reaching care planning goals. The resident has the right to choose what he or she wears, how free time is spent inside and outside the facility, a preferred provider, and organize and participate in resident council or other resident advisory groups (Residents' Rights: An Overview, 2011). There are many facets to this requirement and the nursing home must make every effort to create an environment that encourages a resident to voice and participate in preferred activities. Nursing home staff must routinely reassess a resident’s preferences and make adjustments about aspects of their lives that are important to them.
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