Resident Rights and the Caregiver
As a caregiver it is vital that you do your utmost to protect your residents by ensuring that policies are adhered to. It is equally important that you report any violations of “Resident Rights”, or “R & Rs.” We have listed the most common type of R & Rs below.
1. The right to live in an environment that promotes and supports each resident’s dignity, individuality, independence, self-determination, privacy, and choice.
2. The right to be treated with consideration and respect.
3. The right to be free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, physical restraints and chemical agents.
4. The right to privacy in correspondence, communications, visitation, financial and personal affairs, hygiene, and health related services.
5. The right to receive visitors and make to private phone calls.
6. The right to participate or allow a representative or other individual to participate in the development of a written service plan/care plan.
7. The right to receive the services specified in the service plan/care plan, and to review and re-negotiate the service plan at any time.
8. The right to refuse services, unless such services are court ordered or the health, safety, or welfare of other individuals is endangered by the refusal of services.
9. The right to maintain and use personal possessions, unless they infringe upon the health, safety or welfare of other individuals in the facility.
10. The right to have access to common areas in the care home facility.
11. The right to request to relocate or refuse to relocate within the facility based upon the resident’s needs, desires, and availability of such options.
12. The right to have financial and other records kept in confidence. The release of records should be by written consent of the resident or a representative, except as otherwise provided by law.
13. The right to review the resident’s own records during own business hours or at a time agreed upon by the resident and manager.
14. The right to review the assisted living facility’s most recent survey conducted by the state’s Department of Health Services, and any plan of correction (POC) in effect during normal business hours or at a time agreed upon by the resident and manager.
15. The right to be informed in writing of any change to a fee or charge before the change.
16. The right to submit grievances to employees, outside agencies, and other individuals without constraint or retaliation.
17. The right to exercise free choice in selecting activities, schedules and daily routines.
18. The right to exercise free choice in selecting a primary care provider, pharmacy, or other service providers and assume responsibility for any additional costs incurred as a result of such choices.
19. The right to perform or refuse to perform work for the assisted living facility.
20. The right to participate or refuse to participate in social, recreational, rehabilitative, religious, political or community activities.
21. The right to be free from discrimination due to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, and to be assured the same civil and human rights accorded to other individuals in the assisted living facility.
Important to Remember:
As a caregiver you want to provide as much freedom to residents as possible, but it is also your responsibility to protect residents from their own bad decisions.