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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
Menu
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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
October 01, 2014 - October 31, 2014
Residents' Rights Month is an annual event designated by the Consumer Voice and is celebrated in October to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, sub acute units, assisted living, board and care and retirement communities. It is a time for celebration and recognition offering an opportunity for every facility to focus on and celebrate awareness of dignity, respect and the value of each individual resident. The theme for Residents' Rights Month 2014 is, "Better Staffing: The Key to Better Care" with the goal of encouraging residents and others to be educated about staffing and long-term care.
Purchase Residents' Rights Month Products
View Resident's Voice entries.
2014 Residents' Rights Month Packet of Materials
Each year, the Consumer Voice develops a packet to help you plan your Residents’ Rights events. The packet is completely downloadable and features ready-to-use items, including promotional materials, activities to celebrate Residents' Rights Month, training tools and resources.
Introduction & Overview
Training Materials and Staffing Resources
Promotional Materials
Residents' Rights Month Resources
The Resident's Voice Challenge 2014 - View this year's entries
The Resident’s Voice is an opportunity for residents from facilities across the country to share their ideas about this year’s Residents’ Rights Month theme with other residents, ombudsmen, families, community members and nursing home staff. Challenge information coming soon.
Residents are encouraged to think about and respond to the following questions:
Why are adequate staffing levels in nursing homes important to you?
Describe a time when a staff person has gone out of their way to help you or made you feel special.
Describe a time when you raised a concern about staffing at your facility and your voice was heard.
What do you think should be done to ensure there is enough staff to provide good care to residents in all nursing homes?
Residents can respond to the questions in writing (poems, stories), through art of any kind or with video’s/recordings. We encourage facilities/families to frame resident entries and hang them in residents’ rooms or other areas of the facility.
Plus, we will be creating a calendar in honor of this year’s theme! Send us photos of residents and staff along with quotes from the residents about what the staff members mean to them, and we may include your picture in our calendar for sale during Residents’ Rights Month!
Send entries to info@theconsumervoice.org.
Residents' Rights Month Products
This year's products include 2015 calendars, keychains, magnets and bumper stickers. Visit the Consumer Voice Store
Residents' Rights Month 2014 News
Ombudsman across the country have published articles and press releases celebrating residents' rights:
Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents (AANHR) held its 11th annual Residents' Rights Rally on October 13th. Advocates filled the rotunda of the state capitol in Little Rock raising awareness for residents' rights. Read more in the article in Arkansas Matters and in AANHR's November Newsletter.
To honor National Residents’ Rights Month, the District of Columbia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (DCLTCOP) sponsored an Arts and Crafts contest incorporating the theme: “Better Staffing: The Key to Better Care" with the goal of encouraging residents' and others' awareness of staffing and long-term care:
The celebration continued as the DCLTCOP hosted its Annual Residents’ Rights Luncheon on Friday, October 17, 2014 with a cruise of the Potomac River on The Odyssey Cruise. One hundred and fifty long-term care residents and care staff cruised in support of better care. Genesis Cachedon, ombudsman volunteer specialist and a host of ombudsman volunteers along with long-term care advocates and government officials honored the residents with recognition, prizes, music, and comedy.
At The Beacon 50+ Expo in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Montgomery County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program put the spotlight on residents' rights.
County Ombudsman Eileen Bennett and County Aging Services Manager Phyllis Courlander
The Baltimore County Ombudsman program, in partnership with the local CIL - The Image Center, promoted Residents' Rights Month by hosting Residents' Rights Bingo at Frederick Villa Nursing Home in Catonsville, MD and Riverview Nursing and Rehab in Dundalk, MD. Residents and staff participated in the game. The residents were able to learn about residents' rights, the Ombudsman Program and the Image Center were able to forge a new partnership, and residents also won some terrific prizes!
In Delaware, the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program held its 13th Annual Rights Rally on Tuesday, October 21st. See the flyer.
In Colorado, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments held a pre-election discussion with residents of long-term care facilities and 10 political candidates. The event's hot topic: public transportation.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging held a workshop for Resident Council Presidents/PEER Leadership and facility staff on October 7th. Residents and staff attended from 20 Philadelphia facilities. The workshop explored the impact of staffing adequacies on resident life. The workshop also covered intimacy within the facility, a topic requested by the Resident Council Presidents.
Also in Pennsylvania, the Crown Lights will be showing the message "October Long-Term Care Residents' Rights Month" on October 1st, 17th, and 30th.
Did your organization celebrate 2014 Residents' Rights Month? Send us information on your event to info@theconsumervoice.org, and we will post it on our website.
