Resident's Bill of Rights
3 (1) Every licensee of a long-term care home shall ensure that the
following rights of residents are fully respected and promoted:
- RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT
- Every resident has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect
and in a way that fully recognizes the resident’s inherent dignity,
worth and individuality, regardless of their race, ancestry, place of
origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status
or disability. - Every resident has the right to have their lifestyle and choices
respected. - Every resident has the right to have their participation in decision making respected.
- Every resident has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect
- RIGHT TO FREEDOM FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT
- Every resident has the right to freedom from abuse.
- Every resident has the right to freedom from neglect by the licensee
and staff.
- RIGHT TO AN OPTIMAL QUALITY OF LIFE
- Every resident has the right to communicate in confidence, receive
visitors of their choice and consult in private with any person without
interference. - Every resident has the right to form friendships and relationships and
to participate in the life of the long-term care home. - Every resident has the right to share a room with another resident
according to their mutual wishes, if appropriate accommodation is
available. - Every resident has the right to meet privately with their spouse or
another person in a room that assures privacy. - Every resident has the right to pursue social, cultural, religious,
spiritual and other interests, to develop their potential and to be given
reasonable assistance by the licensee to pursue these interests and
to develop their potential. - Every resident has the right to live in a safe and clean environment.
- Every resident has the right to be given access to protected outdoor
areas in order to enjoy outdoor activity unless the physical setting
makes this impossible. - Every resident has the right to keep and display personal
possessions, pictures and furnishings in their room subject to safety
requirements and the rights of other residents. - Every resident has the right to manage their own financial affairs
unless the resident lacks the legal capacity to do so. - Every resident has the right to exercise the rights of a citizen.
- Every resident has the right to communicate in confidence, receive
- RIGHT TO QUALITY CARE AND SELF-DETERMINATION
- Every resident has the right to proper accommodation, nutrition, care
and services consistent with their needs. - Every resident has the right to be told both who is responsible for
and who is providing the resident’s direct care. - Every resident has the right to be afforded privacy in treatment and
in caring for their personal needs. - Every resident has the right to,
- participate fully in the development, implementation, review and
revision of their plan of care, - give or refuse consent to any treatment, care or services for
which their consent is required by law and to be informed of the
consequences of giving or refusing consent, - participate fully in making any decision concerning any aspect
of their care, including any decision concerning their admission,
discharge or transfer to or from a long-term care home and to obtain an independent opinion with regard to any of those
matters, and, - have their personal health information within the meaning of
the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 kept
confidential in accordance with that Act, and to have access to
their records of personal health information, including their plan
of care, in accordance with that Act.
- participate fully in the development, implementation, review and
- Every resident has a right to ongoing and safe support from their
caregivers to support their physical, mental, social and emotional
wellbeing and their quality of life and to assistance in contacting a
caregiver or other person to support their needs. - Every resident has the right to have any friend, family member,
caregiver or other person of importance to the resident attend any
meeting with the licensee or the staff of the home. - Every resident has the right to designate a person to receive
information concerning any transfer or any hospitalization of the
resident and to have that person receive that information
immediately. - Every resident has the right to receive care and assistance towards
independence based on a restorative care philosophy to maximize
independence to the greatest extent possible. - Every resident has the right not to be restrained, except in the limited
circumstances provided for under this Act and subject to the
requirements provided for under this Act.
Note: On a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant
Governor, paragraph 24 of subsection 3 (1) of the Act is amended by
striking out “restrained” and substituting “restrained or confined”.
(See: 2021, c. 39, Sched. 1, s. 203 (3)) - Every resident has the right to be provided with care and services
based on a palliative care philosophy. - Every resident who is dying or who is very ill has the right to have
family and friends present 24 hours per day.
- Every resident has the right to proper accommodation, nutrition, care
- RIGHT TO BE INFORMED, PARTICIPATE, AND MAKE A COMPLAINT
- Every resident has the right to be informed in writing of any law, rule
or policy affecting services provided to the resident and of the
procedures for initiating complaints. - Every resident has the right to participate in the Residents’ Council.
- Every resident has the right to raise concerns or recommend
changes in policies and services on behalf of themself or others to
the following persons and organizations without interference and
without fear of coercion, discrimination or reprisal, whether directed at
the resident or anyone else:- the Residents’ Council.
- the Family Council.
- the licensee, and, if the licensee is a corporation, the directors
and officers of the corporation, and, in the case of a home
approved under Part IX, a member of the committee of
management for the home under section 135 or of the board of
management for the home under section 128 or 132. - staff members.
- government officials.
- any other person inside or outside the long-term care home
- Every resident has the right to be informed in writing of any law, rule