The Importance of Discussing Quality of Life in Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect,Personal Injury - August 1, 2024 by Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates
Resident Rights: Discussing Quality of Life
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities are required to respond to the opinions of residents or family groups. Nursing home administrators may not discourage any kind of group meetings among residents. Doing so is a violation of residents’ rights. If a group of residents would like to gather to discuss areas where its facility needs to improve, the nursing home is required, by law, to respond to these grievances.
§483.15(c)(6) states that when a resident or family group exists, the facility must listen to the views and act upon the grievances and recommendations of residents and families concerning proposed policy and operational decisions affecting resident care and life in the facility. See F244 Quality of life: required facility responses to resident or family groups
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has been proven to improve the mental and physical health of the aging community. Many elderly people spend their last years alone, so it is important to identify coping mechanisms for feelings of loneliness. Researchers at UCLA have identified meditation as one of these strategies to cope.
Researchers at UCLA found that meditation reduced the expression of inflammatory genes, most notably the genes connected to loneliness. Loneliness is associated with an increase in the activity of inflammation-related genes that can promote a variety of diseases. The research indicated that a simple meditation program lasting just eight weeks reduced loneliness in older adults.
Meditation Enriches Daily Life
Meditation may appeal to the aging community because it is easy to learn and quickly enriches daily life. During meditation, the brain is stimulated in a way that increases happiness and satisfaction. Seniors who suffer from depression can benefit from meditation.[3] Overall, the mental and physical health of an elderly person drastically improves from meditation.
The last years of your loved one’s life do not have to feel lonely. Because loneliness is a form of stress that has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, and early death[4], it is important for the aging community to address mental health concerns. Taking steps to improve mental stability should always be a priority.
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Discussing Care with Family Members
A resident’s or family group is defined as a group that meets regularly to:
- Discuss and offer suggestions about facility policies and procedures affecting residents’ care, treatment, and quality of life;
- Support each other
- Plan resident and family activities;
- Participate in educational activities; or
- For any other purpose
Communication is Important
The facility is required to listen to resident and family group recommendations and grievances. Acting upon these issues does not mean that the facility must accede to all group recommendations, but the facility must seriously consider the group’s recommendations and must attempt to accommodate those recommendations, to the extent practicable, in developing and changing facility policies affecting resident care and life in the facility. The facility should communicate its decisions to the resident and/or family group.
This requirement does not require that residents organize a resident or family group. However, whenever residents or their families wish to organize, facilities must allow them to do so without interference. The facility must provide the group with space, privacy for meetings, and staff support. Normally, the designated staff person responsible for assistance and liaison between the group and the facility’s administration and any other staff members attend the meeting only if requested. See Interpretive Guidelines §483.15(c)
Family members and residents have the right to engage in candid discussions about the quality of life a nursing home provides. These discussions are a useful outlet, both for residents and for nursing home advocates. If you have found a nursing home administrator or staff member has made efforts to prevent group discussions or, worse, has ignored resident opinions, this is a violation of the law. It is important to take steps to prevent nursing homes from silencing their residents. Contact our office today to discuss your concerns with one of our experienced Chicago Nursing Home Abuse lawyers.
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