Justice in Aging recently released an updated guide for consumers: 20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them. The guide includes strategies to deal with the most common problems found in nursing homes. Some of the common problems include: substandard or inappropriate care, disregard for patient preferences, improper use of physical restraints or behavior-modifying medication, excessive charges, and more.

In order to receive the best possible quality of care, a nursing home resident or resident’s family member should be familiar with the protections of the federal Nursing Home Reform Law. The newly updated guide helps consumers and advocates navigate the legalities of nursing home practices, and offers practical tips on how to resolve issues that come up. For example, in a case where restraints are recommended by the facility but the resident does not believe them to be necessary, the guide explains how the resident or their representative can work to resolve the issue through a care planning meeting.

Justice in Aging is a national non-profit legal advocacy organization that fights senior poverty through law. Formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center, since 1972, Justice in Aging has worked for access to affordable health care and economic security for older adults with limited resources, focusing especially on populations that have traditionally lacked legal protection such as women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and people with limited English proficiency.