Regardless of whether you’re looking for a senior living option for either yourself or a loved one, it’s of paramount importance that you understand a resident’s rights when it comes to residing in a retirement community. By understanding how the residents are treated in your family’s retirement community of choice, you can help yourself or your loved one stay in charge of your care. Elder rights is a human rights issue that many tend to overlook despite the aging population we are experiencing in the U.S., making it doubly important that we’re vigilant when it comes to the mistreatment of residents in a senior living environment. Read on to understand the rights you or your loved one are entitled to for senior living in Lehigh Acres, FL.
As a Loved One
If you are your loved one’s legal guardian, you may play a part in your loved one’s agency, being entrusted to make certain decisions in their stead. Hence, you should be fully aware of the ins and outs of your loved one’s retirement community, so that you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in a positive environment for them, surrounded by supportive peers and carers.
Care Plans
Before moving into a retirement community, we always recommend you closely evaluate the care plan proposed by the community’s team before committing to the big move. As a resident, your care plan should reflect your wants and needs above anyone else’s, from the services you receive to the schedule at which you’ll be receiving them. Thus, you should remember that you’re fully within your right to decide how you’d like to receive care in your retirement community.
Searching for a Retirement Community
No retirement community is completely alike the other, which is why most savvy families visit and tour various locations in their area before deciding on their community of choice. Depending on your or your loved one’s needs and preferences, the criteria by which a resident judges a community can vary from one person to the other. Before touring a community, we recommend preparing specific questions to ask that’ll be insightful for when you eventually compare them with one another, such as:
- What is the caregiver-to-resident ratio?
- Do the caregivers have experience caring for residents with Alzheimer’s disease/diabetes/etc.? (Depending on your or your loved one’s needs)
- What is the community’s policy on pets?
Retirement Community Residents’ Rights
Before you or your loved one make the big move and settle in at your retirement community of choice, make sure that you have a copy of the community’s Bill of Rights, which should list various residents’ rights including:
- To be treated with dignity and respect
- To be free from neglect, financial exploitation, and verbal, mental, physical, or sexual abuse
- To be free from physical restraints and inappropriate use of psychoactive medications
Are you looking for a retirement community for either yourself or a loved one? Our retirement community aims to improve residents’ quality of life, enabling them to lead a more confident and independent lifestyle. Learn more about how we can serve your family through our senior living options!
