Should smoking be allowed in private rooms in nursing and long-term care facilities?

[CommunityAdmin]

According to: Smoke-free Illinois - A Guide for Workplaces 

Exemptions to the Smoke-free Illinois Act:

• Private and semi-private rooms in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are exempt under the Smoke-free Illinois Act. These facilities, however, must comply with statutes and administrative rules under which the facility is licensed and the fire protection and life safety codes included in those rules.
• If it is a facility operated under the authority of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs or licensed under Nursing Home Care Act then they need to have a smoking room accessible to residents.

How do you feel about this? 

[Giulia]

What I do in the privacy of my own space should not be regulated.  If someone wants to smoke in their own room (as long as there's no oxygen present which would present a danger to others if it blew up), I feel they should be allowed to.  

[TW517]

I agree with you for now.  But if we ever go to Universal Health Care (hopefully in my lifetime), I would be opposed.  I wouldn't want someone else's dumb choices to affect my insurance cost.

[crazymama_Lori]

I would say no, but should allow them access to a smoking area.  They can close their door, but if it's not air-tight, it's still going to seep out

[elvan]

I agree with crazymama_Lori‌, I do not think smoking should be allowed in a private room in a health care facility...the smell of smoke permeates every single space in hallways...whenever another person opens their door.  Why would a smoker's rights supersede the rights of a nonsmoker?  Why would a nonsmoker have to inhale the second hand smoke when they walked by the door and you KNOW that unless there was some way to completely seal it off, the smoke would enter any adjacent rooms.  I think smoking areas should be provided but I don't think they should be inside...sorry, my mother was in an assisted living facility and smokers had to go outdoors whether they were residents or visitors.  

Ellen

[AnnetteMM]

Yeah, that exception would never fly in New York, but if I still smoked and needed to live in a group environment I'd want an indoor space for sure.  I guess one shouldn't have to give up one's total right to be an adult in whatever way one chooses.

[maryfreecig]

    I don't know. I would need to hear more. Should people who are at the end of their life, bed ridden or in need of  near hourly assistance or watch be made to quit smoking. That's what I'm reading in this question. Compassion has to come first...and so their must be ways to mitigate the smoke. 

     Should smoking be allowed near high schools? Now on that one I'm gonna say no way, not never, not no how. 2000 feet at minimum. 

     Should smoking be allowed at entry ways to grocery stores and other stores? Urrr, no. 

[Thomas3.20.2010]

I see no practical way in which to make this work. Folks in long-term facilities would either have to be screened for dementia and no Parkinson's. etc so that they have a means to bring a lit piece of paper to their face safely. The fire hazard for the elderly in just this aspect alone is very high. A facility burns down no matter how many fire walls they have in approximately 2-5 minutes - not a reasonable time to evacuate innocent co-inhabitants. So as much as you would like to think of it as "home" it is not the same as your own separate house. Same goes for apartments, condos, townhouses, at any age.

The ventilation systems are permeable exposing all nearby residents best case scenario to second hand smoke.The nurses, doctors, CNAs and other staff would be exposed to second and third hand smoke including housekeeping and laundry staff. The hallways would fill with smoke that could effect folks with life threatening respiratory illness. 

Were the resident be assigned an attendant to accompany them while smoking there would be a great deal of money involved for staffing. as we know smokers tend to smoke 2 hours or more a day. 

I just see Pandora's box in that smoking at a facility can be compared to assisted death - allowing folks to refuse medications, food, even water, etc....It is a Health Care Facility - is it not?

I have more but I'll leave it at that!

This bill may have seemed compassionate in a way but it misses the vote boat!

I say NO!

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Thank you for your hands on experience, What you say is logical. Who would monitor the smoker so they don't burn the house down?  My father is in assisted living and those walls are THIN.

[Mandolinrain]

No.

There should be designated smoking area that they can go to...but not in the rooms. Smoke travels through vents and ductwork.