What We Do
Our Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a free and confidential service which maintains and improves the quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities. An ombudsman is an individual who is trained and State-certified to visit long-term care facilities, investigate and resolve the problems of residents, in an objective and independent manner.
How We Make A Difference
- A resident had fallen out of bed a number of times. The facility's designated Ombudsman rigged up a low bed. The resident had no more falls.
- Aged 95, a new resident entered a facility. No family visited this confused lady. All the facility knew of her background was one previous home adress and it was unclear which decade the resident had resided there.
The local Ombudsman, armed with only this address and the lady's name, pieced together the jigsaw of her life and was able to reconnected her with concerned neighbours and grandchildren. - An Ombudsman, during a routine facility visit, saw an emergency exit door chained and padlocked closed. She notified the facility's Administrator of this death trap. The next day the Ombudsman returned to check that action had been taken to make the emergency exit accessible. But no action has been taken. However, as the Ombudsman moved to contact the local Fire Marshall the chain came off!
- A woman who was worried about the care her husband was receiving in a skilled nursing facility:-
"Frank had had a stroke, and I thought the nursing home was not giving him the right kind of therapy and was worried. He had fallen out of bed more than once. When the Ombudsman investigated, he found out that the doctors were encouraging Frank to move around, so he wouldn't get bedsores. The Ombudsman worked with the staff of the nursing home to come up with a plan to lower the bed very close to the floor and put soft cushioning all around it. The Ombudsman also encouraged me to sign up for a support group at the Aphasia Center in Berkeley so I could find out more about strokes. I learned a lot about ways we could communicate with each even though he couldn't really talk. I learned to manage better and was ready for his coming home."
Summary of our Roles:
- Ombudsmen actively work to protect the rights and dignity of residents in long-term care facilities.
- Ombudsmen provide an ongoing presence in facilities to promote the highest quality of life and care on behalf of the resident.
- Ombudsmen investigate complaints made by, or on behalf of, long-term care residents and advocate on behalf of the resident.
- Ombudsmen investigate reports of elder abuse that occur in long-term care facilities or adult day health care centers and report such cases to licensing entities and law enforcement agencies.
- Residents in nursing homes;
- Residents of board and care facilities;
- Residents of adult day health care centers;
- Members of the resident's family;
- Government and private agencies.
The Ombudsman Program can assist in resolving concerns about:
- Elder abuse and neglect;
- Resident's rights;
- Quality of care;
- Appropriate placement;
- Transfer and discharge from care facilities, including assistance with appeals;
- Dietary concerns;
- Medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation;
- Medicare and MediCal benefit issues;
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
