Your Right to Dignity and Respect

You have a right to:

• Reasonable accommodations of individual needs and preferences

• Appropriate and timely medical and personal care based on your needs and preferences

• Be protected from any kind of abuse, harsh treatment, neglect

• Be free from any kind of restraint (physical or chemical) used for convenience or discipline and not used to treat medical symptoms

• Adequate management of pain

• Live in a clean place

• Have meals that meet your needs and preferences

• Be listened to carefully and spoken to respectfully

• Have your own possessions and clothing as space permits

• Have your private space and belongings respected

• Receive notice before your room or your roommate is changed

• Share a room with your spouse if you both agree

• To return to the nursing home following a hospital stay

Your Right to Self-Determination

You have a right to:

• Participate in choices about food, activities, health care and other services based on needs, interests and the care plan

• Choose your physician

• Refuse treatment, including medication, dietary restrictions and experimental research

• Choose to do work for the nursing home or choose not to do work for the nursing home

• Be paid at the prevailing rate if you choose to work

• Associate with people you choose inside and outside the nursing home

• Participate in social, religious and other community activities

• Organize and participate in resident and family groups

• Have immediate visits by your personal physician, relatives, friends, ombudsman program and others providing health, social, legal or other services

• Exercise your rights granted as a citizen or resident of the United States, such as the right to vote

Your Right to Privacy & Information

You have a right to:

• Have information about you kept private

• Privacy during personal care, medical treatment and visits with family, friends and groups

• Send and receive mail unopened

• Use the phone privately without being overheard

• Privacy during visits with your spouse

• Be informed in language you understand of your health status, care and treatment and cost and any changes to the above

• Be fully informed of your care plan before it begins

• Access to all of your records within 24 hours after requesting them (excluding holidays and weekends) and have a copy of all or part of your records at a reasonable cost

• Give permission to family, friends or ombudsman to inspect records

• Information from nursing home on how to get help to pay for your care

• Information about your rights

• Examine results of the most r recent survey conducted by state or federal licensing agents and plans of correction for licensing violations

• Written notice of all available services and their costs

• Receive a copy of the nursing home rules about resident care and conduct

Your Rights Regarding Your Finances

You have a right to:

• Manage your own finances

• Choose not to deposit your funds with the nursing home

• Choose to have the nursing home manage your funds

If funds are managed by the nursing home, the home must:

• Keep funds over $50 in an interest bearing account

• Keep your money separate from nursing home accounts

• Keep and give you a written quarterly accounting of all transactions of your funds

Your Rights During a Nursing Home Transfer or Discharge

You have the right to:

▪ Remain in the facility unless:

-It is not in your best interest

-It is inappropriate for medical reasons

▪ To appeal the transfer or discharge

▪ Be safe during a transfer or discharge

▪ Receive 30 days notice which includes:

-when the transfer or discharge will happen

-where you will be transferred or discharged to

-information on your right to appeal

-the name, address and phone number of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman

Federal and State Laws Protecting Your Rights

Your rights as a resident of a nursing facility are guaranteed by the federal 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law. The law requires nursing homes to “promote and protect the rights of each resident” and places a strong emphasis on individual dignity and self-determination. Nursing homes must meet federal residents’ rights in state law or regulation for nursing homes. A person living in a nursing home maintains the rights he or she had before becoming a resident of the facility.

All nursing homes are required “to provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with written plan of care that is prepared with the participation of the resident, the resident’s family, or legal representative.

Your Right to File Complaint

• You have a right to voice your concerns without discrimination, reprisal or threat of discharge and receive a prompt response.

If you have a complaint you can: File a complaint using the nursing home complaint process:

Call the Bureau of Health Systems (licensing) to file a complaint at:

1-800-882-6006

Call the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for assistance at:

1-866-485-9393

For more information please call our toll free number:

1-866-485-9393