Residents’ Rights Month

Residents' Rights Month
Participate Now!

Submissions for the Resident’s Voice Challenge Due by June 30, 2025

About Residents’ Rights Month

October is Residents’ Rights Month, an annual event designated by Consumer Voice to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities and those receiving care in their home or community. It is an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the dignity and rights of every individual receiving long-term services and supports.

Residents have the right to self-determination and to use their voice to make their own choices. This year’s theme, Stand with Me, highlights the importance of solidarity and support for residents who stand up and advocate for their rights, as well as the value of encouraging the community to join residents in sharing their voices.

“I am trying to help by speaking out so that someone quiet and afraid will be spoken for.”
- Debbie, nursing home resident

Resident's Voice Challenge

Residents’ Rights Month is observed in October, but the time to start celebrating is now! Share your voice through essays, poems, or artwork by submitting your entry before the June 30th deadline.

Creative writing and artistic expression are meaningful and compelling ways to highlight the importance of residents’ rights and how these rights can be carried out in all long-term care settings. The Resident’s Voice Challenge encourages residents to submit essays, poems, artwork, drawings, or videos related to the theme.

LEARN MORE

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
HOW TO SUBMIT

Get Creative

This year’s theme highlights the importance of solidarity and support for residents who stand up and advocate for their rights, as well as the value of encouraging the community to join residents in sharing their voices.

In celebration of Consumer Voice’s 50th Anniversary, we are creating a coffee table book featuring residents’ voices. We’re seeking creative artwork (posters, paintings, drawings) or written entries (essays, poems) of 50 words or less. Individuals whose entries are selected for inclusion in the book will receive a complimentary copy of the book.

Use these questions to inspire you:

What makes you feel empowered?
Why is it important to stand up for your rights? For quality care?
What contributes to your quality of life?
What is needed for quality care to be provided in a long-term care facility?
How can others (family, community members, etc.) support bringing about quality care and quality of life in long-term care facilities?

We also welcome audio and video recordings, long-form essays, or photos to be featured on our website, emails, and social media.

Send Submissions

Read the full Resident’s Voice Challenge Criteria before submitting.

Email submissions to info@theconsumervoice.org by June 30, 2025. Include a mailing address with your submission for residents to receive certificates of participation.

Video submission options:
- Upload your video to YouTube and send us the link.
- Email us the MP4 video file. If the file is too large to email, let us know at info@theconsumervoice.org, and we can arrange the transfer of large files.
- Learn about more options for submitting your video entry here.
- Each person included in the video must sign and submit a release form.

Artwork submissions:
- Take a high-resolution photo of your artwork and email the JPG or PNG file as an attachment to info@theconsumervoice.org. Do not send images in the body of the email, as the file is sometimes compressed.

Mailed submissions:
- Submissions can be mailed to: Consumer Voice, 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste. 1000, Washington, DC 20036. Mailed submissions must be received by the submission deadline, June 30, and will not be returned.

Submit

Photo/Video Release

Examples of Past Resident's Voice Challenge Entries

History of Residents' Rights Month

Originating as Residents' Rights Week in 1981, Residents' Rights Month has been expanded to raise awareness of residents' essential rights.

At the Consumer Voice Conference in 1981, nursing home residents determined the need for time set aside to celebrate residents and their rights, separate from the annual National Nursing Home Week (now National Skilled Nursing Care Week) events. Consumer Voice (then NCCNHR) organized a successful petition drive to persuade Congress to designate a “Residents’ Rights Day.” Senator Claude Pepper (D-FL) and Senator David Pryor (D-AR) responded by introducing a Congressional Resolution for that purpose. Consumer Voice was also successful in making arrangements to take five nursing home residents to the White House to meet with President Jimmy Carter’s Special Counselor on Aging, Dr. Harold Sheppard.

Since 1981, Consumer Voice has preserved the tradition of celebrating Residents’ Rights, and, in 2011, Residents’ Rights Week was expanded to Residents’ Rights Month, held annually in October. This expansion provides additional time for residents/facility staff, family members, community advocates and ombudsmen to conduct educational programs and festive events to call attention to this important topic.