Ombudsman Program staff and certified volunteers work in nursing homes, adult family homes, and boarding homes.
Certified Ombudsmen are a listening ear and a voice for residents of long-term care settings. Ombudsmen educate residents, staff, families, and the community about long-term care issues, resources, resident rights, and quality of life in long-term care.
The philosophy of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is to:
- advocate for the rights of residents;
- receive, investigate, and resolve concerns of the resident concerning the quality of life in the long-term care setting;
- monitor laws, regulations, and policies which impact long-term care residents;
- provide information to the public concerning long-term care setting; and
- promote the development of consumer organizations concerned with long-term care facilities.
The Ombudsman functions as a:
- team member working with staff and residents for quality care and quality of life for the residents;
- member of quality improvement teams, pointing out successes as well as areas that need additional work and resources;
- speaker for those residents who are unable to speak for themselves;
- advocates for resident choices;
- negotiator, helping to come to workable solutions to problems, involving the resident as an adult with a valid point of view; speaking for the resident's choice -- there are as many 'right' answers as there are people involved; and
- resource for facilities in a pro-active manner -- working with staff to develop policies and to address areas of potential conflict (i.e., what is the best approach to contracts, statements of resident rights, and establishing a resident council).
