Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)

Ombudsman Program

The Ombudsman Program is seeking dedicated volunteers to serve as nursing home or assisted living facility advocates.

After receiving certification training, volunteers visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities to advocate for quality care and to protect residents' rights.

If you are Tough Enough To Care and can be objective and work independently, we want to talk with you! Call the DADS Ombudsman Program at 1-800-252-2412 or e-mail us for more information.

Being an Ombudsman is a rewarding experience!

Certified volunteer ombudsmen:

• advocate for quality care for residents in Texas nursing homes and assisted living facilities;
• serve the needs of Texas families and our most vulnerable citizens;
• provide information to residents and families about residents' rights and help identify additional resources in or out of the facility;
• receive special training prior to certification;
• are supervised by professional staff of a local area agency on aging, which is supported by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services;
• identify, investigate, and resolve complaints by or on behalf of nursing home and assisted living facility residents; and
• work with the residents, families, friends, and facility staff to improve the quality of residents' lives.

Residents' Rights

Many people believe that once a person enters a nursing home or assisted living facility, they lose their rights or their rights are altered in some manner — this is not true. Residents have rights and those rights need to be protected.

Unfortunately, many residents receive no visitors and have no close relatives. This decreases their opportunities to communicate meaningfully with those who could care and advocate for them.

Ombudsman Program staff and volunteers communicate with each resident and the program affirms the dignity and value of each resident. Communication is essential to maintaining the rights of all people and is absolutely critical to the more than 90,000 Texans in nursing facilities and the thousands more who live in licensed and unlicensed assisted living facilities.

Updated: January 29, 2007