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(A) Each nursing home shall employ a full-time or full-time equivalent individual who meets the qualifications specified in paragraph (G) of rule 3701-17-07 of the Administrative Code to direct the activities program, and sufficient assistants to meet residents’ activity needs. All nursing homes shall provide an ongoing activity program which shall be designed to meet the physical, mental, emotional, psycho-social well-being and personal interests of each resident. The program shall reflect an activities schedule that involves day time, week end, evening, and community involvement programs to meet the identified needs of each resident based on their comprehensive assessment and care plan required by rules 3701-17-10 and 3701-17-14 of the Administrative Code, respectively. Based on the residents’ changes in abilities, physical and mental status, timely adjustments in programming shall be made to meet the residents’ needs at all times.
(B) All nursing homes shall provide social services to meet the physical, mental, and psycho-social well being of each resident and to assist each resident in attaining or maintaining the highest practicable level of functioning. The nursing home shall ensure that the social services needs related to admission and discharge planning are adequately addressed to ensure a safe and appropriate transfer of a resident to the nursing home or another facility or living arrangement.
(C) All nursing homes shall provide, facilitate or arrange for services to meet the spiritual preferences of their residents.
(D) Members of a resident’s immediate family, guardian, physician, friends, sponsors, or spiritual advisor may visit the resident at any time unless the resident objects. The nursing home may establish reasonable policies to ensure that visits will not unduly disturb other residents or interfere with the operation of the home.
(E) All nursing homes shall provide residents with reasonable access to telephone services. The telephone shall be located in an area where calls can be made without being overheard and, if necessary, shall be adapted to accommodate disabilities.
(F) Each nursing home that allows animals or pets to reside in the nursing home shall establish, in consultation with the medical director and a veterinarian, and implement a written protocol regarding animals and pets that protects the health and safety and rights of residents. For the purposes of this paragraph, “veterinarian” means an individual licensed to practice veterinary medicine under Chapter 4741. of the Revised Code.
(G) The administrator shall ensure that:
(1) All mail, telegrams, or other communications addressed to residents is delivered to the addressee unopened and unread immediately upon receipt at the nursing home, and opened and read to the resident after delivery if the resident so requests.
(2) The resident’s outgoing mail shall be delivered unopened and unread to the regular postal channels promptly upon its receipt from the resident except when there is no regularly scheduled postal delivery or pick-up service in which case it shall be placed into the next regularly scheduled delivery or pick-up. The nursing home shall assist a resident in writing a letter or have a letter written for him or her if the resident so requests.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 05/19/2006 and 05/01/2011
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3721.04
Rule Amplifies: 3721.01 to 3721.19
Prior Effective Dates: 5/2/1966, 12/21/92, 10/20/2001