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.

Philosophy of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program:

• 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;
• Promote the development of consumer organizations concerned with long-term care facilities.

Functions of the Ombudsman:

• 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;
• Advocate for resident choices;
• Negotiator, helping to come to workable solutions to problems, involving the resident as an adult with a valid point of view;
• Speaker for the resident's choice -- there are as many 'right' answers as there are people involved;
• 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).

A certified ombudsman is assigned to one or more facilities. Each volunteer receives thirty hours of training before being assigned to a facility. Frequent in-service training is scheduled during regularly held monthly meetings. In addition, the ombudsman is informed as to other training available in the area and is encouraged to attend.

The office of the Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman can be reached by mail at 1305 Tacoma Avenue, Suite 104, Tacoma, WA, 98402; by phone at (253) 798-3789; by fax at (253) 798-2818; and by e-mail at nkim@co.pierce.wa.us.

For general complaints, please call (253) 798-3789 or (800) 562-6028.

For complaints regarding adult family homes, please call (253) 798-3789.

To apply to become a Long Term Care Ombudsman Volunteer, please call (253) 798-3789 or e-mail nkim@co.pierce.wa.us.

For a look at the Volunteer Ombudsman Job Description, click here.

To download a PDF copy of the Volunteer Ombudsman Application, click here.

Applications are currently being accepted Long Term Care Ombudsman for Piece County's Aging and Disabilities Resources unit.

Long Term Care Ombudsmen serve as advocates and impartial facilitators for residents of nursing homes, adult family homes and boarding homes in the community.

After receiving orientation and training, each new volunteer is mentored by an experienced ombudsman, is awarded with a certificate, and is given an assignment in nursing home, boarding home, and adult family home near where the participant lives or works.

Each ombudsman is asked to give four hours a week to the program, and the reward each volunteer receives through relationships with the residents and other volunteers is immeasurable.

For more information contact the Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman at nkim@co.pierce.wa.us or (253) 798-3789.

Classes for prospective Ombudsmen are provided twice each year. They involve an overview orientation followed by four all-day classes.

All new volunteers are required to attend the orientation and all four class sessions.

Contact the Ombudsman office to reserve your place. Call (253) 798-3789.

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program works in conjunction with its nine-member, advisory council. This council assists by reviewing program issues and making recommendations on how the program staff and volunteers should proceed. The Long Term Care Ombudsman Advisory Council is comprised of members from various service agencies, long-term care providers, community members, and a liaison from the Pierce County Aging and Disabilities Resources Advisory Board.

Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman

(253) 798-3789 or 1-800-642-5769
nkim@co.pierce.wa.us