What Happens When a Nursing Home Closes?
A nursing home closure can be traumatic for residents who are forced to move. While there may not be much that can be done to prevent a closure, residents do have some rights.

Moving into a nursing home can be a stressful experience on its own. If that nursing home closes, residents can experience symptoms that include depression, agitation, and withdrawn behavior, according to The Consumer Voice, a long-term care consumer advocacy group. Nursing homes may close voluntarily because the owners decide to close up shop or involuntarily if the state or federal government shutters the facility for care or safety issues.
When a nursing home is closing, it must provide notice to the state and any residents at least 60 days before the closure. The notice must include the following:
- The date of the closure and the reason for closing
- Information on the plan to relocate the resident, including assurances that the nursing home will transfer residents to the most appropriate facility in terms of quality, services, and location, taking into consideration the needs, choice, and best interests of each resident
- Information about the resident’s appeal rights
- The name and address of the state’s long-term care ombudsman
FREE WEBINAR
5 Things to Know About
Estate Planning
When You Turn Sixty-Five
In addition, the nursing home must provide information to the receiving facility, including the following:
- Contact information for the doctor responsible for the resident
- The resident’s representative’s information
- Information about any advance directives
- Any special instructions or precautions for ongoing care and any care plan goals
Once a nursing home announces it is closing, it cannot admit any new patients. The nursing home must also provide orientation to residents to ensure a safe and orderly transfer.
For more information on what is required when a nursing home closes, contact us today.
More from our blog...
What Does an Executor Actually Do? A Plain-Language Guide for New Jersey Families
Long-Term Care Is Erasing the Inheritance You Expected. Here Is What Families in New Jersey Can Do About It.
Two Families, Two Fortunes, Two Very Different Outcomes: What the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts Teach Us About Estate Planning
What Is a Dynasty Trust and Is It Right for Your Family?
Recent blog posts
Long-Term Care Is Erasing the Inheritance You Expected. Here Is What Families in New Jersey Can Do About It.
Two Families, Two Fortunes, Two Very Different Outcomes: What the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts Teach Us About Estate Planning
What Is a Dynasty Trust and Is It Right for Your Family?
What Should You Check Before Signing a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Admission Agreement?
How Do You Choose an Assisted Living Facility?
Table of Contents
FREE WEBINAR
5 Things to Know About
Estate Planning
When You Turn Sixty-Five



