Become a Long-Term Care Ombudsman or Get Help From One
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-01-08 13:53:47.738233-05:00
You made the decision to move your mother into a nursing home and she seems to be adjusting to her new home as well as she can. But each time you visit, she complains about how cold the water is in the shower. Even though you brought the problem to the attention of the staff several times, it has continued for a couple months and now your mother doesn't want to shower at all. What can you do?
Problems, like the one described above, can occur even in the best nursing homes. Luckily, the Oregon Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is working to ensure nursing home residents get good care. These people, called ombudsmen, are responsible for making sure that nursing home problems get fixed. In addition to working with nursing homes, ombudsmen also work with assisted living residences, board and care homes and other places that provide long-term care to older adults.
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.
In Oregon, the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is available toll-free at 800-522-2602 or online. The Ombudsman is an independent state agency, and its mission is to enhance the quality of life, improve the level of care, protect individuals' rights and promote the dignity of each Oregonian residing in licensed long-term care facilities.
What the Ombudsman Will Do
Ombudsmen have been trained to investigate and resolve complaints about nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Once an ombudsman has been assigned to a case, he or she will listen to the complaint, talk to the resident about it, investigate the problem and try to resolve it by working with the staff of the facility. If needed, they will also notify the agency that licenses and regulates the facility. In addition, they can provide information on residents' rights and how to find a quality nursing home, answer questions about procedures, eligibility and payment as well as help you understand the resident contract. The ombudsmen's services are free of charge.
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. Talk to an ombudsman if something doesn't seem right. 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.
Become a Volunteer
It could be a slippery floor, a complaint of cold showers, or just a foul odor. But what Dee Norman, 72, looks for in her visits to long-term care facilities all over Yamhill County are clues that tell her about the care and quality of life of residents. Norman is nearly a 13-year veteran volunteer of Oregon's Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
Today, Norman is one of 140 certified volunteer ombudsmen working to ensure that 40,000 Oregonians living in long-term care facilities enjoy freedom from abuse and neglect and the freedom to make choices about their care. Trained and authorized to visit care facilities, Norman investigates complaints and advocate for residents.
Sometimes Norman finds herself making a predawn visit to a facility to look into a report from residents about being dressed for the day at untimely hours. At other times, her visits may be at dusk to investigate a concern raised by a resident's family member about cold dinners. In general though Norman says the hours she keeps as a certified Ombudsman are great because she gets to set her pace and schedule.
She is proud of having problem solved with care providers and family members on behalf of residents and one time having helped residents of an assisted living facility start their own resident council. "But sometimes I just sit down and hold someone's hand," says Norman.
Norman urges others AARP or community members to join her as a volunteer ombudsman. AARP Oregon partners with the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman to recruit and engage volunteer ombudsmen.
Find more information online, or to volunteer, contact AARP Oregon toll-free to (866)554-5360 or via e-mail.
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