Many people with senior loved ones residing in nursing home facilities may not be aware of the ombudsman program. The long-term care ombudsmen are advocates for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Each state including Maryland has an ombudsman office headed by fulltime state employees. Thousands of local volunteers give their time to work in communities throughout Maryland as part of the statewide program assisting residents and their families. They are trained to be the voice for those unable to speak for themselves.
This program was established under the federal Older Americans Act which required every state to have an ombudsman program in an effort to improve the long-term care system. An ombudsman may not be able to require specific actions by a facility, but they have the responsibility to negotiate on the residents’ behalf and to coordinate other efforts with other state agencies for necessary enforcement.
The types of disagreements that they can help settle include issues regarding the quality of food and nutrition, privacy concerns, communication problems and other general issues about the condition of the facility or the professionalism of the staff.
If your senior loved one is facing any of these types of issues within a nursing home facility, start by speaking to a supervisor at the facility. If that approach does not work then reach out to the Maryland ombudsman program for assistance.
You may also want to contact one of the elder law attorneys at Stouffer Legal in the Greater Baltimore area for advice on whether the issues you are facing amount to legal actions that need to be taken.
The ombudsman program also provides resources to help educate residents, families and facility staff on a variety of issues related to aging, long-term care and residents’ rights. The information is intended to help empower seniors to resolve these issues. Ultimately the program wants to protect the rights of residents and improve their care and quality of life.
If you are struggling with issues related to a nursing home facility in Maryland contact one of the elder law attorneys at Stouffer Legal today.
