{"id":5388,"date":"2019-05-18T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtonfamily.com\/2019\/05\/18\/knowledge-is-power-2\/"},"modified":"2019-05-18T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-18T01:00:00","slug":"knowledge-is-power-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtonfamily.com\/knowledge-is-power-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Knowledge is Power"},"content":{"rendered":"
(Family Features<\/a>) An estimated 1.4 million older adults and people with disabilities live in nursing homes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a nursing home participates in Medicare or Medicaid \u2013 and most do \u2013<\/a> it must meet requirements \u201cto promote and protect the rights of each resident.\u201d<\/p>\n This means nursing homes are required to care for their residents in a way that enhances the quality of life for residents, respects their dignity and ensures they are able to make choices for themselves.<\/p>\n Established by federal law, the \u201cResidents\u2019 Bill of Rights,\u201d states if you live in a nursing home, you are entitled to rights including:<\/p>\n Some states have laws and regulations that establish additional rights for nursing home residents. Some states also guarantee a similar set of rights for people who live in assisted living or similar settings.<\/p>\n Every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam have an advocate, called a Long-Term Care Ombudsman, for residents of nursing homes, board and care and assisted living facilities and similar residential care facilities. These advocates work to resolve problems affecting residents\u2019 health, safety, welfare and rights. Residents, their families and others have the right to contact their local Ombudsman program to help them understand their rights, learn about community resources and work through problems.<\/p>\n\n