What is an Ombudsman?

In the context of a nursing home or with long term care in an assisted living setting, an ombudsman is a person who acts as an intermediary between the patient and the people responsible for delivering care. The ombudsman profession is thought to have begun in Sweden and other Nordic countries as a connection between a government and the people being governed or as a voice for commercial and industrial concerns. However, the term has since evolved into many other uses. In the United States, the primary type of ombudsman is one who works in the assisted living medical sector.

An ombudsman can either be paid or work on a voluntary basis. Legislation in the United States has given the power of ombudsman regulation over to the states and there now exists an organization in each state that provides a representative when it is necessary. For the primary employed ombudsman, they typically work for the state agency. In contrast, the majority of ombudsmen are volunteers and receive assistance in the form of education and information resources from the state agency. Some are relatives of the patients and others are simply looking for volunteer situations where they can help improve the quality of life for a person.

An ombudsman can be assigned to either a group of patients or a single patient. In a nursing home, there is usually one or two ombudsmen that visit the site on a regular basis to check in with patients and make sure their needs are being met. In the absence of adequate care, the ombudsman can contact the nursing home administration or the individuals that can provide the needed function. Many volunteer ombudsmen that work with patients that live at home while receiving assisted living care will have a number of patients in a close geographical area. This proximity means that they can respond to requests efficiently and effectively.