What Does the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office Do?

If an elderly person you love and are related to is being abused, you may be looking for governmental resources that can possibly help you out. While there are several of them, some seem to be more beneficial than others. In addition, most facilities and organizations focus on different things, meaning that one organization may be able to help you with one thing while another one might be able to help you with other things.

One of the most talked about programs located throughout the country is the Long-Term Ombudsman program. If you have heard of this program or office, there is a good chance that you are interested in learning more information about it and what the individuals working and volunteering there are focusing on.

What is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program?

According to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program is responsible for resolving issues “related to the health, safety, welfare, and rights” of those who reside in long-term care facilities. The goal of the Ombudsman program is to “promote policies and consumer protections to improve long-term services and support at the facility, local, state, and national levels.” Examples of long-term care facilities that the Ombudsman program helps include:

• Nursing homes
• Assisted living facilities
• Board and care facilities
• Residential care communities

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program started in 1972 as a temporary “demonstration program.” However, it is now a permanent and successful program that can be found in every state across the United States under the authorization of the Older Americans Act. All 50 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have their own Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, which is run and overseen by a full-time Ombudsman. This individual hires staff and volunteers to help out with residents. Here are some of the duties of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program:

• Conduct investigations, identify problems, and solve any complaints made by residents or their family members
• Inform residents about the program and how they can assist them
• Make sure that residents are given access to the services offered by the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program whenever they want/ need them
• Take a look at and see if any changes should be made regarding regulations and laws that are put in place for the “health, safety, welfare, and rights” of residents
• Speak, communicate, and inform governmental officials and agencies about residents’ interests as well as recommend and seek protections and changes in ways to protect residents

Does the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office make a difference in the lives of residents and their families?

When looking at organizations and facilities to reach out to for assistance and guidance regarding elder abuse, you may be curious to know if the specific program is making a difference. This is a natural curiosity that makes complete sense as you want to make sure that the organization that you take the time to contact and work with will actually help you out with the challenges you are facing. From the data we came across, it appears that the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office makes a difference in the lives of residents and their families. The following are a few of the ways that their 1,300 full-time staff members and over 6,600 volunteers helped in 2017 (the most recent year available):

• Resolved over 200,000 complaints from residents and family members
• Took care of and resolved more than 70 percent of complaints regarding residents
• Assisted and gave out information about the program/ office to over 400,000 people
• Made visits to almost 70 percent of all nursing homes and around 30 percent of assisted living centers, board and care facilities, and other residential long-term care facilities
• Assisted and gave out information about the program/ office to almost 130,000 managers and staff members of long-term residential facilities
• Trained and provided classes to around 4,500 long-term facilities about the rights of residents
• Was involved in over 21,000 resident council meetings and almost 2,000 family council meetings

Local Long-Term Ombudsman office locations

After learning this information about the Long-Term Ombudsman program, you may be wondering where exactly the local offices are located. Below are the office addresses, phone numbers, and Ombudsman coordinators for Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Phoenix.

Long Beach and Los Angeles, CA:

PSA 19/25 – WISE & Healthy Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

1527 4^th Street, 2^nd Fl
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone #: (310) 393-3618 or (800) 334-9473
Areas served at this location: Los Angeles County
Ombudsman coordinator: Rachel Tate

New Orleans, LA:

Capital Area Agency on Aging – New Orleans Region

P.O. Box 66038
Baton Rouge, LA 70896
Phone #: (225) 928-8775 or (800) 833-9883
Areas served: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St Bernard, and St. Tammany
Ombudsman coordinator: Tanya Hayes

Phoenix, AZ: