AgeSmart Blog
It's Called Residents' Rights for a Reason
by Marjorie Moore | September 29, 2026
Pop Quiz.
What is a skilled nursing facility?
A. A Medical Facility
B. A Place to Receive More Care than You Could at Home
C. A Home to Many
D. All of the Above
If you answered D, you’re correct!
What is a skilled nursing facility?
A. A Medical Facility
B. A Place to Receive More Care than You Could at Home
C. A Home to Many
D. All of the Above
If you answered D, you’re correct!
When many people think about moving into a skilled nursing facility or even an assisted living facility, they think about the extra support, the medical help, and the restrictions of living with a lot of other people.
What most people don’t consider is that nursing homes are in fact homes.
But you can hear it in what the people who live in these communities are called. Residents. Not patients. Not clients. Residents.
And when you’re a resident of a licensed care facility, the federal and state governments provide you with a list of Residents’ Rights that you have while you live in that facility. The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law lays out over 30 specific rights that cannot be legally violated by facility staff. The overarching rights are:
• Right to be Fully Informed• Right to Complain
• Right to Participate in One’s Own Care
• Right to Privacy and Confidentiality
• Rights During Transfers and Discharges
• Right to Dignity, Respect and Freedom
• Right to Visits
• Right to Make Independent Choices
Something that’s important to note is that except under situations where a judge has specifically ordered the opposite, residents of nursing homes retain all of their rights while living in a facility. Including the right to vote.
And of course, the thing most people forget is that they even have rights as they leave a facility, whether they choose to move or the facility is making that choice for them.
Throughout the AgeSmart area, there’s a team of five long-term care ombudsmen who are tasked with making sure that every person living in a skilled nursing facility, supportive living facility and assisted living facility retains their rights and advocates for them to facility staff and even to their families. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is run by Senior Services Plus and is funded by the Older Americans Act and the State of Illinois through AgeSmart.
They make regular visits to all the facilities in our 7-county area, but if a resident has a complaint or concern between visits, they can call 618-465-3298 ext 127 to make a report and get help.
We all need to remember that moving into a facility doesn’t mean fading away. Living in long-term care can be joyful and full of purpose. But, in the moments that don’t feel right, remember that long-term care residents have rights. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Team is here to help protect those rights.
If you have a loved one living in a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility, memory care facility, or supportive living facility, or think you may soon, be sure to save this number- 618-465-3298 ext. 127.