If a resident needs to be hospitalized, the nursing home will hold the bed open for the resident’s return as long as the bed is being paid for. Medicaid pays bedhold fees for 10 days. If the resident is in the hospital longer than 10 days, the resident gets the next available bed in the same nursing home upon discharge from the hospital. (Usually the hospital will keep the resident until the next bed opens).
If a nursing home resident has a complaint about the nursing home, he or she can complain to the administrator or to the New Jersey Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly at 1-877-582-6995. The complaint to the ombudsman can be made anonymously or, if you give your name, it can be kept confidential if you so request. The ombudsman can go to the nursing home unannounced in order to investigate.
2. What are the rights of assisted living and other residential facility residents?
Assisted living means a coordinated array of supportive personal and health services, available 24 hours per day, which promote resident self-direction and participation in decisions that emphasize independence, individuality, privacy, dignity and homelike surroundings to residents who have been assessed to need these services, including residents who require formal long-term care. An assisted living residence is a facility that provides apartment-style housing and congregate dining while assuring that assisted living services are available when needed. Other residential facilities can include a variety of settings, such as personal care homes, adult day care, and adult medical day care services.
The rights to be expected at an assisted living or other type of facility are similar to those proscribed by law to nursing homes. Residences are to provide services that are consistent with the following principles of assisted living:
- To provide personalized services and care to meet each resident’s needs;
- To foster the independence and individuality of each resident;
- To treat each resident with respect, courtesy, consideration, and dignity;
- To assure each resident the right to make choices with respect to services and lifestyle;
- To assure each resident’s right to privacy;
- To nurture the spirit and uniqueness of each resident;
- To encourage families and friends to participate in resident service planning and implementation; and
- To provide opportunities for the assisted living facilities and programs to become a valuable community resource.