Ombudsmen are Advocates

Long-Term Care Ombudsmen are advocates for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, assisted living facilities and similar adult care facilities. They work to resolve problems of individual residents and to bring about changes at the local, state and national levels to improve care.  While most residents receive good care in long-term care facilities, far too many are neglected, and other unfortunate incidents of psychological, physical and other kinds of abuse do occur.  Thus, thousands of trained volunteer ombudsmen regularly visit long-term care facilities, monitor conditions and care, and provide a voice for those unable to speak for themselves.

Begun in 1972 as a demonstration program, the Ombudsman Program today is established in all states under the Older Americans Act, which is administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA).  Local ombudsmen work on behalf of residents in hundreds of communities throughout the country.

In 1998, over 900 paid ombudsmen and 7,000 certified volunteer ombudsmen, working in 587 localities nationwide, investigated about 200,000 complaints made by 121,000 individuals and provided information on long-term care to another 200,000 people.  The most frequent complaints involved lack of resident care due to inadequate staffing.

Ombudsmen help residents and their families and friends understand and exercise rights that are guaranteed by law, both at the federal level and in many states.  Residents have the right to:

• be treated with respect and dignity;

• be free from chemical and physical restraints;

• manage their own finances;

• voice grievances without fear of retaliation;

• associate and communicate privately with any person of their choice;

• send and receive personal mail;

• have personal and medical records kept confidential;

• apply for state and federal assistance without discrimination;

• be fully informed prior to admission of their rights, services available and all charges; and

• be given advance notice of transfer or discharge.

• Ombudsman responsibilities outlined in Title VII of the Older Americans Act include:

• identify, investigate and resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents;

• provide information to residents about long-term care services;

• represent the interests of residents before governmental agencies and seek administrative, legal and other remedies to protect residents;

• analyze, comment on and recommend changes in laws and regulations pertaining to the health, safety, welfare and rights of residents;

• educate and inform consumers and the general public regarding issues and concerns related to long-term care and facilitate public comment on laws, regulations, policies and actions;

• promote the development of citizen organizations to participate in the program;

• provide technical support for the development of resident and family councils to protect the well-being and rights of residents.

Resources

The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, operated by the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform in conjunction with the National Association of State Units on Aging, provides on-call technical assistance and intensive annual training to assist ombudsmen in their demanding work.  The Center is supported with funds from the Administration on Aging.

To contact a long-term care ombudsman, call AoA’s Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 and ask for the local ombudsman program or area agency on aging nearest the nursing home or similar facility where the resident lives.  The area agency will either be the sponsor of the ombudsman program or know where the program is located.  You may also locate the local ombudsman through the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, which is usually located in the State Office on Aging.  State ombudsmen can also be contacted through the Eldercare Locator and they are listed on AoA’s website at: www.aoa.gov/ltcombudsman