A Long-Term Care Ombudsman on Your Side
Your mother and you decided she needed to move into a nursing home. She's adjusting to her new home as well as she can. But each time you visit, she complains about cold showers. The water is not hot enough for her. You've told the staff about it several times. But, it has continued for a couple months. Now your mother doesn't want to shower at all.
Problems like this happen even in the best nursing homes. Help is available to you to resolve such problems. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program operates in every state with people working to ensure nursing home residents get good care. These people, called ombudsmen, are responsible for making sure that nursing home problems get resolved. In addition to working with nursing homes, they also work with assisted living residences, board and care homes and other places that provide long-term care to older adults.
The Cost
Funded by the government, ombudsmen's services are free of charge.
How to Find an Ombudsman
If you or your loved one has an unresolved issue with a long-term care facility and need assistance to get the problem corrected, there are several ways you can find an ombudsman.
- Check for a sign posted in the long-term care facility that lists the ombudsman's office and phone number or ask the staff for information.
- You can also call you local office on Aging.
- The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center's Web site also has a list for each state.
What the Ombudsman Will Do
Ombudsmen are trained to investigate and resolve complaints about a nursing home or other residence. Once an ombudsman is assigned to a case,
- he listens to the complaint,
- talks to the resident about it,
- investigates the problem and
- tries to resolve it by working with the staff of the facility.
If needed, he also notifies the agency that licenses and regulates the facility. In addition, he provides information on residents' rights and answers questions about procedures, eligibility for public programs, payment, and the resident contract.
Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have a right to quality care that is free from abuse, neglect, discrimination or retaliation. If there is a problem with the care you or a loved one is receiving, be sure to speak up. If problems are not resolved, talk to an ombudsman about what you should expect and what you are getting. Remember, it is the ombudsmen's job to lend support to long-term care residents, to protect their rights and to help them get the best care.
AARP Resources
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If Nursing Home Problems Occur
Problems do come up in nursing homes. Here are ideas of how to solve problems in nursing home care. -
Nursing Home Evaluation Checklist
A handy checklist to compare nursing homes to choose the one that's best for your spouse, parent or loved one. -
Assisted Living Facility Evaluation Checklist
A checklist from AARP to help you and your parent select the right assisted living facility. -
Navigating Your Way to a Quality Assisted Living Facility
This free one-hour online seminar helps you find a good assisted living facility.
Additional Resources
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National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
Listing of state ombudsman programs and lots more. -
National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR)
Information on how to resolve problems with a nursing home. -
Eldercare Locator
Visit the Eldercare Web site or call 800-677-1116 to find other local support resources for older persons.
