Uvalde Texas Nursing Home Rights

If you have entrusted a loved one to a nursing home in Uvalde, and that trust has been broken, you should know that both you and your family have rights. You should also know that you don’t have to stand alone. Carabin Shaw has been defending Uvalde nursing home rights for over 20 years, and our attorneys are ready to help you.

The rights of nursing home residents are the same as any other United States citizen, and they are even outlined under federal and state laws. When these rights are violated, it is a clear sign of Uvalde nursing home negligence:

• The right to dignity and respect: Nursing home residents always have the right to human dignity and respect. This applies to the treatment they receive from facility staff and fellow residents. They have the right to participate in facility activities and groups, they have the right to leave the facility if legally and medically capable, and they have the right to choose when to go to sleep, when to wake up, and when to eat.
• The right to not be discriminated against: Your nursing facility must comply with Civil Rights laws and may not discriminate against residents or their families based on race, color, disability, age, or religion. This applies both in the way they accept new applicants and treat current residents; the only exception to this would be where a facility must responsibly decline admitting a resident when they lack the facilities to properly care for their condition.
• The right to stay informed: Nursing home residents and their families have the right to be notified and stay informed of every aspect of services. The most important of these are:
  • Policies, services, and fees of the facility;
  • The physical and psychological health of family in residence;
  • Information on accessing counseling and social services;
  • And any changes to the above.
• The right to manage personal finances: The resident of a nursing home always should remain in control of their own money, or if they have not the capacity, then control should be in the hands of an authorized family member or legal representative. This includes bank accounts, credit information, bonds, cash, and spending funds, as well as access to all of these.
• The right to privacy and personal property: Although they may live in a community setting, residents of an adult care facility have a reasonable expectation of privacy. This applies not only to their day-to-day life, but to communications and personal information as well. Residents also have the right to keep their personal belongings, as long as they don’t endanger the rights and safety of others, and the facility has a responsibility to reasonably protect these belongings from theft or damage.
• The right to be free from restraint: Nursing and adult care facilities may never use physical restraints or sedatives against a resident’s will for the purposes of behavioral discipline or making their jobs easier. The only case where restraints are ever acceptable would be to prevent residents from causing immediate and certain harm to themselves or other residents. Texas nursing facilities in particular have one of the worst reputations in the country for inappropriate use of antipsychotics according to the AARP; if you suspect anything like this is happening, contact an attorney in Uvalde right away.
• The right to medical care: In decisions regarding their medical treatment and care, the final say is always up to the resident or those with power of attorney. Residents have the right to:
  • Choose which doctors they see;
  • Be informed of their health conditions;
  • Maintain access to their medical records and information;
  • Mange their health plans and payments;
  • And make informed decisions about their own health.
  Facilities should never make unilateral decisions about a resident’s health unless in extreme or life-and-death situations.
• The right to be in a safe and comfortable environment:
  Most important of all, residents have the right to live in a safe, comfortable, and clean environment.

You can read more about nursing home rights in Uvalde on the Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman website. If you believe any of these rights have been infringed upon by a nursing home or adult care facility, call a Uvalde nursing home abuse lawyer with Carabin Shaw today. Our lawyers have the experience to stop Texas nursing home abuse in its tracks and the compassion to see justice for your family through to the end.

Don’t risk your loved one’s Uvalde nursing home rights a minute longer. Attorneys from Carabin Shaw are standing by to defend your family against nursing home negligence with a free consultation to analyze and inform you about your case. Call our law offices in Uvalde today at 830.253.2282 or toll-free at 1.800.682.1260.