3269. RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS

3269 RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS 3269.1 Each resident in a nursing facility shall have the right to the following: Freedom from discrimination in treatment or access to services based on reasons prohibited by the Human Rights Act of 1977, effective December 13, 1977 (D.C. Law 2-38; D.C. Official Code §§ 2-1401.01, et seq. (2007 Repl. & 2011 Supp.)); (b) To be fully informed by the nursing facility of all resident rights and all facility rules governing resident conduct and responsibilities upon admission and annually thereafter; (c) To either manage his or her own personal finances, or be given a quarterly report of the his or her finances if this responsibility has been delegated in writing to the nursing facility; (d) To be treated with respect and dignity and assured privacy during treatment and when receiving personal care; (e) To not be required to perform services for the nursing facility that are not for therapeutic purposes, as identified in the plan of care for the resident; (f) To associate and communicate privately with persons of the resident’s choice, unless medically contraindicated; (g) To send and receive personal mail, unopened by personnel at the nursing facility; (h) To participate in activities of social, family, resident, religious, and community groups at the discretion of the resident, unless medically contraindicated; (i) To keep and use personal clothing and possessions, as space permits, unless to do so would infringe on other residents’ rights or is medically contraindicated; (j) To maintain, at the nursing facility, a private locker, chest, or chest drawer that is large enough to accommodate jewelry and small personal property and that can be locked by the resident; (k) To be provided with privacy for visits by the resident’s spouse or domestic partner, or, if spouses or domestic partners are both residents in the nursing facility, be permitted to share a room, unless medically or psycho-socially contraindicated; (l) To be free from mental or physical abuse; (m) To be free from chemical and physical restraints except as authorized pursuant to federal or District law and regulation; (n) To be discharged from the nursing facility after receiving a consultation from a physician of the medical consequences of discharge; and (o) Providing the administrator, physician, or a nurse of the nursing facility with written notice of the desire to be discharged; provided, that if the resident is a minor or a guardian has been appointed for a resident, the written request for discharge shall be signed by the resident’s guardian, unless there is a court order to the contrary. SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 10619, 10627 (December 16, 2011).