Nursing home evictions: Understanding your rights

As difficult as it can be to find a good nursing home and secure space for your loved one, the challenge doesn’t end there. Dementia caregivers in particular must be aware and be prepared to take action if the nursing home tries to evict your loved one.

So many people are not aware of the amount of nursing home evictions that take place each year in the US and the chaos and stress it causes families. I experienced a form of this when the skilled nursing facility where my father was placed after being discharged by the hospital said it could no longer care for him because they didn’t have staff that could provide dementia care. My father was not able to return home because he could no longer walk and my parents’ condo had stairs. My father was stranded and eventually was placed over an hour-and-a-half away from my parents’ home in the closest facility with a memory care wing.

In some cases, residents are evicted with very little notice and without a legal reason. ‘I Want to Go Home’ published in The Progressive Magazine offers firsthand accounts of how nursing home evictions can throw families into chaos. One way to protect your loved ones is to be aware of the possibility of eviction and an action plan to implement if it occurs.

I hope this is an issue your loved one never has to face but Justice in Aging offers good resources to learn more.

First-hand account that illustrates the incredible harm caused to older adults and their families when long-term care facilities evict people from their homes. In many cases it’s illegal, but they still get away with it. https://t.co/vkWv93wxzg 1/5

— Justice in Aging (@justiceinaging) January 28, 2022