Updated Sunday, June 25th, 2023
Choosing, Resident Rights, Filing Complaints,
Care Standards, Paying & More
Choosing a Nursing Home
Public Websites That Identify Nursing Homes and Provide Inspection Histories on Them:
- Cal Health Find (operated by the California Department of Public Health)
- Cal Quality Care (managed by the University of California, San Francisco)
- Nursing Home Compare (operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Note: CANHR does not endorse nursing home ratings. The information on these sites may be helpful to you but you should not solely rely on them to determine the quality of a facility. See CANHR’s fact sheet on choosing a nursing home.
Filing Complaints
Advocacy Help with Nursing Home Concerns
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs by County
- Overview of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
Resident Rights
- Outline of Nursing Home Residents’ Rights
- Transfer and Discharge Rights
- The Epidemic in Nursing Home Evictions
- Admission Agreement Rights
- Don’t Sign Arbitration Agreements
- Toxic Medicine: What You Should Know to Fight the Misuse of Psychoactive Drugs in California Nursing Homes
- Your Right to Visit: A Guide to Visiting Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities
- Your Right to Leave: A Guide to the Rights of Long-Term Care Consumers to Be Free From Forced Placement
- Questions and Answers Regarding Informed Consent
- Access to Medical Records in California Nursing Homes
- Theft and Loss
- “Did You Know?” and ”Dear Advocate” archives – helpful consumer information from the CANHR Advocate.
CANHR Postcard Series on Resident Rights
- “Nursing Home Discharges…What to Know Before You Go“
- “Nursing Home Staffing…Your Right to Have Enough Staff to Meet Your Needs”
Coming soon… - “Nursing Home Visitation Rights…Your Right to Have Visitors”
Coming soon…
Advocating for Quality Care
Paying for Nursing Home Care
Medi-Cal for Long-Term Care
- If You Think You Need a Nursing Home…A Consumer’s Guide to Financial Considerations and Medi-Cal Eligibility
- More Information on Medi-Cal Eligibility for Long-Term Care
Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage
- Medicare Coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility Care by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Center for Medicare Advocacy Resource Materials
- Center for Medicare Advocacy Self-Help Packet for Appeals of Denied Coverage
- Jimmo v Sebelius Toolkit by the Center for Medicare Advocacy (Improvement Standard case)
- HICAP – Medicare Counseling
Organizing a Family Council
- Family Council Fact Sheet
- Organizing Family Councils in Long Term Care Facilities (booklet)
- Family Councils: Making a Difference (online video)
- Introduction to Family Councils
- Organizing a Family Council
- Tips for Running an Effective Family Council
- Family Council Articles
Key Resources
- More CANHR Fact Sheets
- 25 Common Nursing Home Problems & How to Resolve Them by Justice in Aging
- Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse
- Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse Complaint Form
- California Health Advocates
- California regulations on skilled nursing facilities
(Title 22, CCR, Division 5, Chapter 3) - Center for Medicare Advocacy
- CDPH Enforcement Actions (Citations) site
- Disability Rights California
- Find Your California Legislators
- Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care FacilitiesZ
(Appendix PP, State Operations Manual) - Justice in Aging
- Long Term Care Community Coalition
- Long Term Care Ombudsman Contacts by County
- National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
- NH Regs Plus (examine and compare state regulations on nursing homes)
- Nursing Home Inspect by ProPublica
- Nursing Home Staffing by Facility (from Long Term Care Community Coalition)