Can nursing homes keep you from seeing your loved one?

No, it is against the law for nursing homes to ban visitors from seeing their loved ones, unless the visitor is deemed dangerous to the other residents of the nursing home. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nursing home residents have the following rights when it comes to visitors:

• To spend private time with visitors
• To have visitors at any time, as long as you wish to see them, as long as the visit does not interfere with the provision of care and privacy rights of other residents
• To see any person who gives you help with your health, social, legal, or other services at any time. This includes your doctor, a representative from the health department, and your Long-Term Care Ombudsman, among others.

If you feel that a loved one is being deprived of his/her rights as a nursing home resident, you have the right to register a complaint with the nursing home as a resident advocate. If the facility’s management does not resolve the issue, one can also report the problem to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration at 1-888-419-3456 or to the Long Term Care Ombudsman of Florida at 1-888-831-0404.