Nursing Home Resident Rights

In Phoenix, Arizona and Taking Cases Nationwide

All nursing homes in Arizona are licensed through the Office of Long-Term Care Licensing Services under the Arizona Department of Health Services. To help ensure that residents' basic rights are protected and that they do not fall victim to catastrophic injury or wrongful death, this office has a published a list of nursing home resident rights as provided by Federal and Arizona State statutes, rules and regulations. The list is broken out in several categories and is summarized below for your convenience.

Nursing Home Residents’ Basic Rights

  • To be treated with dignity, respect and in full recognition of your individuality
  • Dignified existence and self-determination
  • The right to be free

Nursing Home Admission Rights

  • The nursing home must inform you or your representative of all resident rights and of its governing rules, in a language or manner that you understand
  • It must provide you with written notice of any entitlement to Medicaid benefits and how they can be applied for
  • A nursing home cannot require you to pre-pay or make cash deposits if you are covered by Medicare or other government programs

Freedom from Restraint & Abuse Rights

It is you’re a resident’s right to be free from:

  • Chemical and physical restraints that are not used to treat medical symptoms
  • Verbal, physical, mental and sexual abuse, corporal punishment and involuntary isolation
  • Interference, discrimination, coercion and reprisal when exercising your rights

Visits, Privacy, Confidentiality Rights

Residents are entitled to:

  • Privacy in their rooms and during visits, medical treatment and phone calls
  • Confidentiality of medical and financial records
  • Access to persons providing health, legal, social and other services

Quality of Life Rights

Residents are entitled to:

  • Submit grievances without restraint
  • Contact client advocates and receive information from them
  • Have immediate access to communicate with any individuals, agencies or organizations
  • Select health care, activities and schedules of their choice
  • Participate in resident and family groups, social events and religious and political activities

Living Accommodations & Care Rights

Residents are entitled to:

  • Share a room with a spouse if he or she agrees and space is available
  • Be given notice before a room or roommate change takes place
  • Refuse a room transfer that is for relocation purposes only

Money & Possession Rights

  • Residents are entitled to manage their own finances
  • Residents cannot be required to deposit personal funds with the nursing home
  • Residents can authorize the nursing home to manage their funds and are entitled to see regular reports concerning those funds
  • Residents have the right to use and retain personal possessions

Medical Care & Treatment Rights

It is you’re a resident’s right to:

  • Receive services that reasonably meet their needs and preferences
  • Be fully informed about their medical conditions and overall health status
  • Choose their own doctor
  • Help plan and choose their care and treatment
  • Refuse treatment, even if they have previously consented to it
  • Access their records within 24 hours and purchase copies of those records within 48 hours
  • Select their own pharmacy as long it is in compliance with facility standards
  • Refuse to participate in experimental research

If you suspect your legal rights or the rights of a loved one are being violated, please contact our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our nursing home negligence lawyers. If the nursing home is outside of Arizona, we can still represent and fight for you from our Phoenix office. We would begin by conferring with you over the phone. So call or email us today.

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