2002 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jan Costello
Phone: 217-785-9020, TTY: 1-800-252-8966

October 1, 2002

Residents’ Rights Week
October 6 – 12, 2002

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Governor George H. Ryan today proclaimed the week of October 6–12, as Residents’ Rights Week in Illinois, calling attention to the more than 100,000 Illinois citizens who reside in long term care facilities including nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The Governor also proclaimed October 7, 2002, as Resident Council Day and October 12 as Family Council Day. Residents participate in Resident Councils to provide facilities with important information about how quality care can be provided and how the quality of residents’ lives can be strengthened. Family Councils are vehicles to bring about improvements in care and provide forums for discussions on topics of interest to family members concerned about their loved ones.

“I encourage Illinoisans to think about all individuals who in live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities,” said Margo E. Schreiber, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging. “There are many opportunities to improve their quality of life by visiting or volunteering in a facility.”

The theme of Residents’ Rights Week is, “Giving Voice to Quality: Affirming Residents’ Rights in Long Term Care.” Nearly 2 million residents live in over 60,000 long term care facilities in the United States.

The Illinois Department on Aging administers the Illinois Long Term Care Ombudsman program. Local ombudsmen work with residents and their families to resolve any resident issues, complaints or problems. The program trains staff and volunteers to educate residents, family and facility staff on residents’ rights and minimum standards, resolve complaints reported to the program by residents, family and facility staff, and advocate for improved quality of life and quality of care for residents.

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Contact

For more information, call the Illinois Department on Aging's Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (Voice and TTY).