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Ombudsman for the Elderly

An Ombudsman is an advocate and a problem solver for people 60 years of age or older who need or have questions about long term care.  Long term care may be in a person's home, in an assisted living center or in a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.

An Ombudsman's role is to:

• provide information about long term care choices
• check on the quality of care in long term care settings
• investigate complaints about care in long term care settings.

What does an Ombudsman do?

• An Ombudsman talks to people 60 years of age or over about the choices available for long term care, the cost of care and the possible coverage by various insurance programs.
• The Ombudsman assists the individual requiring long term care to access the services of their choice and access the appropriate insurance program as needed.
• The Ombudsman investigates complaints from residents, family members and staff of long term care organizations about the care and services that are provided in nursing homes or assisted living centers.
• An Ombudsman also makes periodic, unannounced visits to all assisted living centers and skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers.  These visits all the Ombudsman to:
  • talk to the residents about the Ombudsman program,
  • explain the rights that the residents have
  • ask the residents if they have any problems with their services
  • observe the quality of the care provided
  • identify problem areas and make suggestions on ways to improve the quality of care
• An Ombudsman provides community presentations and staff training about long term care issues.

For more information call 522-5391 or email .