Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-38-.10 - FACILITY STANDARDS

(1) General.

(a) TBI residential homes shall be operated and maintained to ensure a homelike environment.

(b) Hardware for all exit and interior doors must have simple hardware that cannot be locked against exit and must have an obvious method of operation. Hasps, sliding bolts, hooks and eyes, and double key deadbolts are not permitted.

(c) Sleeping rooms for all household occupants must be finished with wall or partitions of standard construction which go from floor to ceiling; have a door which opens directly to a hallway or common use room without passage through another bedroom or common room; and be adequately ventilated, heated and lighted, with at least one window that opens which meets fire safety regulations.

(d) TBI residential home providers, TBI residential home staff, and family members shall not sleep in areas designated as living areas or common use areas.

(2) Resident sleeping rooms.

(a) Each resident shall have his or her own sleeping room, not to be shared with any other resident or staff member.

(b) Each resident sleeping room must be a minimum of one hundred and twenty (120) square feet, or larger when necessary to accommodate the necessary equipment and supplies for the care and services needed for the resident.

(c) Each resident sleeping room must have at least one window or exterior door that will readily open from the inside without special tools and which provides a clear opening of not less than eight hundred twenty one (821) square inches (5.7 square feet), with the least dimensions not less than twenty two (22) inches in height or twenty (20) inches in width. Sill height must not be more than forty-four (44) inches from the floor level or there must be approved steps or other aids to the window exit.

(d) Each resident sleeping room must be in close enough proximity to the staff person(s) in charge to alert him or her to nighttime needs or emergencies. Otherwise, each resident sleeping room must be equipped with a call bell or intercom that will enable residents to summon staff's assistance when needed. The summons must be audible in all areas of the TBI residential home. Intercoms must not violate the resident's right to privacy and must have the capability of being turned off by the resident or at the resident's request.

(e) Each resident sleeping room must be equipped with an individual bed consisting of a mattress and springs, in good condition. Each bed must have clean bedding in good condition consisting of bedspread, mattress pad, two sheets, a pillow, a pillowcase and blankets adequate for the weather.

(f) Each resident sleeping room must have a private dresser and closet space sufficient for the resident's clothing and personal effects including hygiene and grooming supplies. Residents must be allowed to keep and use reasonable amounts of personal belongings.

(g) Drapes or shades for windows must be provided and must be in good condition and allow privacy for residents.

(h) TBI residential home providers shall not place residents who are unable to walk without assistance or who are incapable of independent evacuation in a basement, split-level, second story or other area that does not have an exit at the ground level.

(i) Each resident sleeping room must have a second safe means of exit. A second safe means of exit means that there must be two ways to safely exit the TBI residential home from a resident sleeping room. TBI residential home providers with resident sleeping rooms above the first floor shall be required to demonstrate an evacuation drill from that resident sleeping room, using the secondary exit, at the time of licensure, renewal, or inspection.

(3) Common use areas.

(a) Common use areas must be accessible to all residents and may include the dining room and the living room.

(b) Each common use area shall have at a minimum one hundred fifty (150) square feet of common living space and sufficient furniture to accommodate the recreational and social needs.

(c) Common use areas must not be located in an unfinished basement or a garage.

(4) Bathrooms.

(a) Bathrooms must provide individual privacy with a door which opens to a hall or common use room; a mirror; a window that opens or other means of ventilation; and a window covering for privacy. A resident may have a bathroom that opens into the resident's own bedroom instead of opening to a hall or common use room, provided that no resident shall have to walk through another resident's sleeping room to get to a bathroom.

(b) Bathrooms must be clean and free of objectionable odors.

(c) Bathrooms must have bathtubs and/or showers, toilets and sinks in good repair.

(d) There must be at least one toilet, one sink and one bathtub or shower for every three (3) household occupants.

(e) Non-slip floor surfaces must be provided in bathtubs and showers.

(f) Bathrooms must have grab bars for each toilet, bathtub and shower.

(g) Each bathroom shall have an adequate supply of toilet paper and soap.

(h) Each bathroom shall have appropriate racks or hooks for drying bath linens.

(i) Each bathroom shall have hand towels or roller-dispensed hand towels or paper towels.

(j) The TBI residential home provider shall supply residents with clean, individual towels and washcloths.

(5) Each TBI residential home shall provide the following:

(a) Current newspapers, magazines or other reading materials;

(b) A telephone accessible to all residents to make and receive personal telephone calls twenty-four (24) hours per day; and

(c) A suitable and comfortable furnished area for activities and family visits. Furnishings shall include a calendar and a functioning television set, radio and clock.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-38-.10

Original rule filed October 28, 2015; effective January 26, 2016. Transferred from chapter 1200-08-37 pursuant to Public Chapter 1119 of 2022 effective 7/1/2022.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 68-11-202, 68-11-206, 68-11-209, 68-11-270, and 68-11-273.