Summary of the Rights of Nursing Home Residents that the federal
(US) and South Carolina (SC) state laws protect:
The Right to Receive:
- Adequate and appropriate care
- Reasonable accommodation of their needs
- Privacy in their treatment and care
- Confidentiality regarding medical, personal and financial
matters
- Consideration, respect and dignity
- Notice of transfer or discharge
The Right to:
- Participate in their treatment
- Refuse medication, treatment and restraints (both chemical
and physical)
- Review their medical record
- Make independent personal decisions
- Choose their own physician
- Participate in activities
- Communicate privately with any person
- Manage their own financial affairs
- File complaints with state agencies for abuse, neglect or
misappropriation of property
- Present grievances to the nursing home
- Prompt efforts by the nursing home to resolve grievances
- Have immediate access by visitors, including personal
physicians, state agency representatives, relatives and other
individuals and organizations
- Remain in the nursing home unless transfer or discharge is
necessary or appropriate for medical or safety reasons
- Remain in the nursing home unless the resident has failed to
pay after reasonable notice has been given
- Have their family informed of changes in resident’s health
and treatment
- Have his/her physician consulted when the resident’s
condition significantly changes
The Right to Be free from:
- Mental abuse
- Physical abuse
- Corporal punishment
- Involuntary seclusion
- Physical restraints
- Chemical restraints
The Right to Be fully informed of:
- Changes in care and treatment
- Available services and charges for services
- Nursing home rules and regulations
- Resident rights
- State Ombudsman, survey agency and advocacy groups’ contact
information
- State survey reports of the nursing home
- Nursing home’s plans of correction
- Plans to change a resident’s room or roommate
- Changes in their medical condition
The federal and South Carolina state regulations set forth
specific requirements as to how nursing homes are to provide care
and treatment to residents and protect the rights of residents. For
example, South Carolina state regulations require training of
caregivers in nursing homes as well as sufficient numbers of staff
to provide care to proper residents.
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