Know Your Nursing Home Rights

A lot can change when you move into a nursing home or assisted living facility in Georgia. But some things don’t and shouldn’t change, such as your rights as a citizen and your expectation to be treated with care, dignity, and respect.

Sadly, however, the abuse and neglect of nursing home residents is a chronic problem. This is not only morally repugnant, it can be the basis for a claim of damages against the facility, its owners and staff. Abuse and mistreatment is also a violation of specific legal rights established by Georgia law. Facilities and staff have obligations not only to respect those rights but also to notify residents of them.

Georgia’s Long-Term Care Facilities: Residents’ Bill of Rights sets forth the rights of nursing home and assisted living residents in the state. These rights relate to admission, transfer, discharge, and standards of care, among other issues, and provides remedies for residents whose rights have been violated.

These rights include:

• The right to adequate and appropriate care without discrimination
• The right to seek enforcement of these rights with punishment or retaliation
• The right to exercise constitutional rights, such as voting
• The right to privacy
• The right to practice religious beliefs
• The right to be free from abuse, neglect, exploitation and to be free from chemical and physical restraints
• The right to one’s own personal property
• The right to send and receive unopened mail
• The right to have access to a phone
• The right to manage one’s own finances
• The right to refuse medical treatment
• The right to participate in one own care plan
• The right to access one’s own records
• The right to voluntarily transfer or discharge
• The right to access an ombudsman regarding problems or complaints

The State Bar of Georgia has a wonderful and informative pamphlet that goes into greater detail about the rights of nursing home residents.

Parian Law Firm: Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers
Should you have any concerns about the type or the quality of the care your loved one is receiving while a resident in a nursing home, you should report your concerns to the appropriate Georgia Health Department. Once you have done this, you may want to consider contacting an experienced nursing home abuse attorney for additional guidance and information.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of elder abuse, please give us a call at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today. We can discuss your situation, evaluate your potential claim, and advise you of your options. We look forward to assisting you.