Residents’ Rights Training Materials and 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.

This year's theme, Reclaiming My Rights, My Home, My Life, acknowledges the impact of this past year on residents and highlights the need for residents’ rights to be recognized, recovered, and reasserted. It emphasizes the recognition of the long-term care facility as the residents’ home, and the importance of residents reclaiming their own lives. Below are resources for consumers and Ombudsman programs to use during Residents’ Rights Month.

NEW! Residents' Rights Education Materials

NORC and Consumer Voice published new consumer education materials regarding nursing home residents' rights.

Ombudsman programs can use these materials as a training toolkit for:

• Community education;
• Training for Resident and Family councils;
• Training for facility staff; and
  
• Initial training for Ombudsman program staff and volunteers.

Prezi - A Prezi is a visual storytelling alternative to a PowerPoint presentation. The Residents' Rights Prezi uses the map-like layout to provide an overview of residents’ rights overview, tips for exercising rights, and how to take action. The Prezi is available as a video with a voiceover or as a clickable presentation without the voiceover to be used with this script.

PowerPoints - This toolkit also includes a PowerPoint for consumer education and a PowerPoint for in-service training.

Fact Sheet - This fact sheet was developed for long-term care consumers to inform them about their rights.

All materials are available on the Consumer Voice website here and on the NORC website here. Additional residents' rights materials can be found here and FAQs related to residents' rights can be found here.

Residents' Rights Resources for Consumers 

The Human Touch by Sharman Lang

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. 

Staying Engaged Enrichment Booklet
The new Enrichment Booklet offers residents a variety of activities to keep them entertained and active. This book includes puzzles, such as word searches and crosswords; prompts for residents to write about the connections in their lives; trivia questions, which can be done alone or with others; and more!

Activity Suggestions
This webpage includes activity ideas for residents, friends, family, the community, and others to celebrate Residents' Rights Month. Ideas include suggestions using technology, snail mail, online media, and more. Plan activities using the Residents' Rights Month Activity Calendar. 

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 Sheet in Different Languages
This fact sheet is offered in several different languages such as: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, Arabic, German, Greek, Japanese, Polish, 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

• Residents' Rights Promotional PSA Video - Encourage media outlets in your area to share this PSA video throughout the month of October to promote Residents' Rights Month.
• Reasons Why Ombudsmen Should Participate
• Reasons Facilities Should Participate
• Sample Ombudsman Newsletter Article
• Sample Letter to the Editor
• Sample Press Release
• Proclamation - Governor
• Proclamation - Mayor
• Logo (Logo usage policy)
• Flyer
  

Resources

• Communication Tips
• Reasons Residents Do Not Routinely Exercise Their Rights
• Obstacles to Implementing Residents' Rights
• How Facilities Can Promote and Implement Residents' Rights
• Nursing Home Fact Sheets:
• How to Solve Problems in a Nursing Home
• Steps for Getting Quality Care in a Nursing Home
• Assisted Living Fact Sheets:
• 6 Steps for Getting Quality Care in an Assisted Living Facility
• How to Solve Problems in an Assisted Living Facility
• Home Care Consumer Fact Sheets:
• Steps to Getting Quality Home Care from an Agency or from a Home Care Worker You Hired
• How to Address Concerns with a Home Health or Home Care Agency or with the Home Care Worker You Hired

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.