It may be worthwhile to hire an ombudsman if you have a concern about a long-term facility. This professional can help to resolve any complaint. All nursing homes should have a grievance process. Residents might be afraid of getting retaliated upon if they don't. The ombudsman can develop a trusting relationship with residents. A ombudsman's impartiality is what makes him/her more open to hearing the concerns of residents.
Responsibilities
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman serves the public, residents, and nursing homes by investigating complaints and working to make changes. The ombudsman's job is to empower residents and families to make informed decisions. They can respond to resident complaints, promote transparency within the long-term-care industry, and educate residents about their needs.
The Ombudsman is an independent volunteer advocate who investigates resident complaints and solves them through professional mediation. He works with residents and staff to improve the care quality. The ombudsman provides long-term care facilities with hundreds of free consultations. The ombudsman will resolve complaints about admissions, transfers, as well as discharges.
Funding
The LTC Ombudsman Program covers residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and B&C homes. Its mission is to educate residents about their rights and to improve their living conditions. The office of the ombudsman also provides training to staff at B&C homes and nursing facilities on how to deal with complaints and improve resident care. 70% of nursing homes received visits from ombudsmen in 2013, whether they were on a weekly or monthly basis. These numbers are down from over half in 2003.
Numerous groups and organizations have voiced concern at the lack funding. Governor Christie announced that he would conduct a study on the state's long term care system. However, the bill does not discuss the funding level. Currently, only half of the state's 1,500 nursing homes and adult care facilities have Ombudsman staff. Although the Ombudsman Program is the only state-funded program, Governor Cuomo supported it during his State of the State address. Sadly, New Yorkers continue to die in nursing homes.
Frequency
Long-term care ombudsmen do not visit every facility as often as they would like. While the national average is 85 complaints per 1,000 beds, the average is closer to 67. There are between 14 and 743 complaints per thousand District of Columbia beds. The study also looked at the relationship between commute distance and complaint frequency. With the exception New York, there is a consistent lower visitation rate across all states.
State-level ombudsman programs employ specially trained citizen volunteers who spend two to three hours each week advocating on behalf of residents. These volunteer ombudsmen report directly to the New York State Ombudsman Programme and are responsible in helping residents in their communities. They are the liaison between residents in their communities and facilities.
Access by phone
Residents of long-term care facilities used to have to contact the Ombudsman only in person. But that is no longer true. You can arrange in-person visits, but they may be delayed or reduced in severity in the case if there is an outbreak. You can still call or email the Long Term Care Ombudsman to get assistance. You may need to wait up to three days to receive a reply.
The LTC residents have a long-term care ombudsman who acts as an advocate for them. This office helps residents understand and obtain their rights. The State Office for the Aging houses the office in New York. NYSOFA states that over 1,500 people are currently living in LTC units. This means that the ombudsman can serve these individuals in many different ways.