A bill expanding the rights of long-term care residents is now law.
Senate Bill 152 is one of five bills based on 19 recommendations from the General Assembly’s Aging-In-Place Working Group.
That group’s chair, State Senator Spiros Mantzavinos, says more bills based on those recommendations are on the way next legislative session.
He was also the prime sponsor of this measure, which requires long-term care facilities to offer care that recognizes a resident’s cultural differences and preferences.
“Delaware is graying, Delaware is diversifying. And it’s important that we stay ahead of this,” said Mantzavinos. “We need to make sure that as people age and they find themself in a facility, out of want or necessity, that the staff is culturally sensitive to them as a resident.”
AARP State Director Lucretia Young echoes that point, emphasizing that as the 65 and older population grows, the rights of those in long-term care need to be solidified.
“We have 192,000 members in the state of Delaware. So it's very, very important that the families and the individuals have the best care possible, and cultural competency is a really, really important piece of that,” she explained.
In addition to ensuring that residents receive care tailored to their needs on a cultural level, the law also requires that residents, or their authorized representative, understand that new right, and all others that they are entitled to by law in Delaware.
To achieve this, the Department of Health and Social Services will create a standardized notice listing all resident rights outlined in Delaware Code in a language and format accessible to each resident or their authorized representative.
That notice must also be given to all residents being admitted to a facility and currently residing in a facility.
