Living In A Nursing Home
G.S. 131E-117 — a declaration of patients' rights, and five days' notice
In North Carolina, every nursing home treats its patients according to a declaration of patients' rights in the statutes.
Five days' notice before a transfer or discharge. A patient may not be transferred or discharged except for medical reasons, the patient's own or other patients' welfare, nonpayment, or when Medicare or Medicaid requires it. The patient is given at least five days' advance notice, unless the attending physician orders an immediate transfer.
Private communication. A patient may associate and communicate privately and without restriction with persons of their choice at any reasonable hour, send and receive mail promptly and unopened, and use a telephone privately at any reasonable hour.
License trouble. Patients are notified within 10 days after the facility is issued a provisional license because of violations, or receives notice of revocation of its license, along with the basis for it.
| The assumption | What the law actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionA nursing home can discharge anyone it likes | What the law actually doesOnly for the reasons the section lists |
| The assumptionA resident learns of problems at the home from the news | What the law actually doesNotice within 10 days of a provisional license or a revocation notice |
Facilities taking Medicare or Medicaid funding are subject to a further set of federal resident rights alongside these, which are not on this page. Whether conduct breaches the section is a question for a licensed North Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.S. 131E-117 — Declaration of patient's rights
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.