It's All About the Residents!
For example, in 1999 the Ombudsman was called to a recently opened, privately owned facility by an anonymous complaint. With initial investigation, help and support by the local Ombudsman, former patients and their families charged the facility with poor care that had led to the deaths of several people from abuse and neglect.
The plaintiffs provided a horrifying list of complaints, including those of helpless people developing such severe bedsores that they required surgery, patients going unfed for days, not being bathed for weeks and getting blood poisoning from untreated infections. Several staff members gave depositions in which they verified the accounts of inadequate care. That lawsuit was eventually settled for $37 million. The facility has since been sold and restaffed and is providing high standard care to local seniors.
A recent example of how Ombudsman, Inc. helps engender healthy living conditions for all residents in long-term care facilities is offered by certified Ombudsman, Marian Barfield, following one of her interventions:
The plaintiffs provided a horrifying list of complaints, including those of helpless people developing such severe bedsores that they required surgery, patients going unfed for days, not being bathed for weeks and getting blood poisoning from untreated infections. Several staff members gave depositions in which they verified the accounts of inadequate care. That lawsuit was eventually settled for $37 million. The facility has since been sold and restaffed and is providing high standard care to local seniors.
A recent example of how Ombudsman, Inc. helps engender healthy living conditions for all residents in long-term care facilities is offered by certified Ombudsman, Marian Barfield, following one of her interventions:
"I visited a residential care facility and found that the staff was untrained, 
the facility was unclean, the meals were of poor quality and the residents were not properly supervised or cared for.
One of the residents had not been moved out of bed for six months because there was no one interested in bathing, grooming or dressing her and transferring her to her wheelchair.
After several visits when she became familiar with me, this resident confessed that she had been too scared to complain about her neglect. I organized a physical assessment for her and worked for several months with social workers to have her relocated to a better facility. We also filed a complaint to start proceedings against the residential care facility that was operating in abysmal conditions."
Rapid and fundamental changes are now being made to improve the care provided to residents. the facility was unclean, the meals were of poor quality and the residents were not properly supervised or cared for.One of the residents had not been moved out of bed for six months because there was no one interested in bathing, grooming or dressing her and transferring her to her wheelchair.
After several visits when she became familiar with me, this resident confessed that she had been too scared to complain about her neglect. I organized a physical assessment for her and worked for several months with social workers to have her relocated to a better facility. We also filed a complaint to start proceedings against the residential care facility that was operating in abysmal conditions."
