Residents do not give up their civil and human rights when they move into a California residential care home. They have rights involving dignity, privacy, information, choices, visitors, complaints, and freedom from abuse or retaliation. A Long-Term Care Ombudsman can explain rights and help address concerns confidentially.
What rights do California care-home residents have?
California’s Department of Aging highlights rights that apply in assisted living, board-and-care homes, and other long-term-care settings. These include the right to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Receive information about rights, services, and health in a preferred language
- Make choices about daily routines and care
- Privacy and confidentiality in communications, visits, and medical care
- Consent to or refuse treatment
- Choose visitors, subject to the rights of other residents
- Raise concerns and make complaints without retaliation
- Receive notice and participate in planning for a transfer or discharge
- Be free from abuse, neglect, discrimination, and improper restraints
Read California’s long-term-care rights overview →
What should a family do when something feels wrong?
- Check immediate safety. Call 911 when someone is in immediate danger or needs emergency help.
- Write down the facts. Record dates, times, people involved, what was observed, and what response was requested.
- Ask the resident what they want. Involve the resident and respect their wishes to the greatest extent possible.
- Raise the concern with the appropriate facility contact. Ask what will happen next and when the family should expect an update.
- Contact the Ombudsman. Ombudsman representatives provide free, confidential support and work with residents to resolve complaints.
How do families contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman?
California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Hotline: 800-231-4024
The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive complaints from residents in long-term-care facilities. Families may also locate the local Ombudsman program through California’s county services directory.
Find the local Ombudsman office by county →
How is suspected abuse or neglect reported?
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For suspected abuse or neglect in a licensed residential care facility, California directs people to the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the statewide hotline at 800-231-4024, local law enforcement, or the California Department of Social Services at 1-844-538-8766.
Review California’s official abuse and neglect reporting guidance →
Can a family also contact Community Care Licensing?
California’s Community Care Licensing Division licenses RCFEs and makes facility information and recent available records searchable online. Families can use the facility search to confirm the home and review posted documents before contacting the appropriate licensing office about a concern.
Open the California Community Care Facility Search →
Keep a simple complaint record
- Facility name, address, and license number
- Resident’s description of the concern and desired outcome
- Dates, times, witnesses, and relevant documents
- Who was contacted and the response received
- Follow-up date and any change in the resident’s condition or safety
What to do next
For a licensing-record concern, use the California RCFE license and inspection guide. For a current rights or care concern, contact the Ombudsman and preserve a factual timeline.
This guide is educational and is not legal, medical, emergency, or licensing advice. Reporting duties and the correct agency can depend on the setting and circumstances. Sources reviewed September 2026.