RCW 70.129.140 Quality of life—Rights.

(1) The facility must promote care for residents in a manner and in an environment that maintains or enhances each resident's dignity and respect in full recognition of his or her individuality.

(2) Within reasonable facility rules designed to protect the rights and quality of life of residents, the resident has the right to:

(a) Choose activities, schedules, and health care consistent with his or her interests, assessments, and plans of care;

(b) Interact with members of the community both inside and outside the facility;

(c) Make choices about aspects of his or her life in the facility that are significant to the resident;

(d) Wear his or her own clothing and determine his or her own dress, hair style, or other personal effects according to individual preference;

(e) Unless adjudged incompetent or otherwise found to be legally incapacitated, participate in planning care and treatment or changes in care and treatment;

(f) Unless adjudged incompetent or otherwise found to be legally incapacitated, to direct his or her own service plan and changes in the service plan, and to refuse any particular service so long as such refusal is documented in the record of the resident.

(3)(a) A resident has the right to organize and participate in resident groups in the facility.

(b) A resident's family has the right to meet in the facility with the families of other residents in the facility.

(c) The facility must provide a resident or family group, if one exists, with meeting space.

(d) Staff or visitors may attend meetings at the group's invitation.

(e) 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.

(f) The resident has the right to refuse to perform services for the facility except as voluntarily agreed by the resident and the facility in the resident's service plan.

(4) A resident has the right to participate in social, religious, and community activities that do not interfere with the rights of other residents in the facility.

(5) A resident has the right to:

(a) Reside and receive services in the facility with reasonable accommodation of individual needs and preferences, except when the health or safety of the individual or other residents would be endangered; and

(b) Receive notice before the resident's room or roommate in the facility is changed.

(6) A resident has the right to share a double room with his or her spouse or domestic partner when residents who are married to each other or in a domestic partnership with each other live in the same facility and both spouses or both domestic partners consent to the arrangement.

[ 2008 c 6 § 304; 1994 c 214 § 15.]

NOTES:

Part headings not law—Severability—2008 c 6: See RCW 26.60.900 and 26.60.901.