Ombudsman: Watchdog for Residents of Long Term Care Facilities

The best friend of a resident of a long term care facility may very well be the facility's ombudsman. An ombudsman's job is to work cooperatively with a facility to improve the quality of life for its residents. He or she accomplishes this in three ways: by advocating on behalf of residents; by mediating when necessary; and by educating both residents and their families of their rights.

Carol, a friend of mine, recently became a nursing home ombudsman and shared her experiences with me.

How Does One Become An Ombudsman?

The job of ombudsman is a volunteer position. Training is accomplished through classroom lectures over a six day period. A volunteer must also attend monthly in-service training. The volunteer commits to serving 2-4 hours per week in a facility for a minimum of one year.

Why Carol Became An Ombudsman

When Carol's mother had to move to assisted living, she realized that her mother as well as the other residents gave up freedoms. Before moving into long term care, all the residents had a life full of dreams, choices and abilities. Carol was struck by the fact that these freedoms were now gone. They no longer could choose what and when they wanted to eat or in some cases even to go to the bathroom by themselves. Carol became an ombudsman to help long term care residents realize that they still do have choices.

A Typical Work Day

Carol is assigned to three floors in a nine floor nursing home. She serves between 135 and 140 residents. A typical visit may consist of a quick peak into each resident's room. She checks for fresh water close to the resident, any unpleasant odors and overall cleanliness of the resident's room.

Often Carol will simply sit and visit with a resident, many of whom are starved for attention. Spending time listening to the resident is often how Carol will learn what is actually happening. Many residents are reluctant to voice complaints. They belong to a generation that believes that those in authority are to be trusted and believed. Some fear retaliation from the staff if they complain. "Just by hearing what they are trying to say" during a visit, Carols says, "...sometimes you can fix problems."

Common Complaints

The most common complaint of residents is that they don't get enough exercise, especially walking. Both Carol and I witnessed loved ones lose their ability to walk after being confined to wheel chairs in a long term care residence. In spite of being told that the resident may be "walked" each day by staff, it is usually far too short a period if it is even done at all. The expression "use it or lose it" holds true in nursing homes. Many residents end up wheel chair bound who did not have a prior ambulatory problem.

Long call-bell response time, as well as the disrespectful attitude of some staff members, are other common complaints of residents. Complaints about the food are also frequent but are usually easy to remedy. Often a visit to the food service provider will resolve such concerns.

Dedicated Volunteers

Although the initial work commitment of an ombudsman is 2-4 hours per week, Carol works 10 -12 hours. Some of those hours are travel time and hours spent on monthly reports, follow ups and phone calls. When I asked Carol what she especially likes about her work as an ombudsman she replied, "I like being able to give someone the gift of being heard."

Sources: 1. A friend's personal experiences

2. http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/glossary_entry.php?term=Long%20Term%20Care%20Ombudsman,%20Definition%28s%29%20of&area=All