Making a Difference -- Becoming an Ombudsman

Few things can provide as much hope and peace of mind to a person living alone in a nursing home or other long-term care facility as having a trained advocate to work on their behalf in resolving problems.

Even when an older person has family to aid them, the family may not have the knowledge or the experience to know how to help best.

When you volunteer to become a long-term care ombudsman, you have the ability to make a profound difference in the life of a person in a long-term care setting and his or her family.

The Role of an Ombudsman

Each volunteer ombudsman visits nursing homes and assisted living or board and care facilities to ensure the well being of the residents. They help resolve issues and complaints residents and their families have. These complaints may include:
  • Staff training, attitudes, responses and behaviors
  • Admission and discharge issues
  • Nutrition and dietary concerns
  • Physical therapy
  • Matters of dignity
  • Financial issues involving Medicare, Medi-Cal, Social Security Insurance (SSI)

Training to be an Ombudsman

All volunteer ombudsmen are carefully screened and trained before taking on their duties. This screening and training consists of:
  • Fingerprint clearance and background check
  • 36 hours training in the classroom
  • A 12-hour field work internship

When these steps have been completed, the volunteer ombudsman is eligible for certification by the State of California Department of Aging. Every year, an ombudsman must be recertified. Recertification is given if the ombudsman has completed 12 hours of continuing education. (This is fulfilled by attending monthly WISE & Healthy Aging ombudsman training meetings.)

Making the Commitment to Be an Ombudsman

Each person who volunteers to be Wise & Healthy Aging long-term care ombudsman is asked to make a one-year commitment to the program.

Each volunteer is assigned to specific facilities where they are responsible for providing ombudsman services to residents. Complaints from residents are forwarded to the volunteer from the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program staff. The volunteer is responsible for investigating the complaint and completing the appropriate paperwork to document the complaint and its resolution.

Each volunteer is asked to provide at least 16 hours of service a month. This includes visiting facilities, travel time, completing paperwork, consulting with ombudsman staff on technical matters and attending monthly ombudsman meetings and training programs.

To Volunteer as an Ombudsman

If you would like to become a volunteer ombudsman, you can do so in two ways.
The first way is to call Wise & Healthy Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at (310) 393-3618 or email ombudsman2@wiseandhealthyaging.org.

The second is to complete this online application form. A Wise & Healthy Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman program representative will contact you within two business days.