Residents’ Rights Resources
October is “Residents’ Rights Month,” an annual event designated by Consumer Voice to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities. Residents’ Rights Month is an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the awareness of dignity, respect, and the rights of each resident.

Brenda Padgett, a nursing home resident from Evansville, Indiana.
Residents' Rights Resources for Consumers
These consumer resources highlight residents’ rights and empower residents to ensure they receive individualized care. During Residents’ Rights Month share these resources with residents, family members, advocates, and facility staff to focus on resident-directed care and emphasize the self-determination, choice, and quality of life of each resident.
Residents' Rights and the LGBT Community: Know Your Rights as a Nursing Home Resident
This factsheet highlights federal residents' rights and nursing home requirements that may be of particular importance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents and provides options for complaint resolution, information for reporting abuse and resources regarding long-term care and LGBT advocacy.
My Personal Directions for Quality Living Form
This form can be used by consumers to record their personal preferences and information about themselves in case they need long-term care services in their home or in a long-term care community in the future. The information in this form may provide some help in understanding residents and help when providing their care. View an example form here.
Residents' Rights Fact Sheets in Different Languages
This fact sheet is also offered in several different languages such as: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, and Braille.
Residents' Rights Month Resources for Ombudsman Programs
We share a packet every year for Residents' Rights Month that features ready-to-use items, including promotional materials, activity ideas, training tools, and resources. Ombudsman programs can:
- share the free resources and activity ideas with residents, families, and facility staff,
- encourage residents to participate in the Resident’s Voice Challenge, and
- use the outreach examples to promote Residents’ Rights Month.
Promotional Materials
Activities
Resources
Be sure to let NORC know how your program is celebrating Residents' Rights Month by emailing ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org so you can be featured on our website!
For more information on Residents' Rights Month visit the NORC website.
Read archived issues of NORC Notes here. If you have a question, are not able to find a resource, or want to share training materials or program practices, please email ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.