Ombudsman Volunteering Programs

In a nursing home environment, an ombudsman is the person who communicates the needs of the residents with the nursing home staff that will carry out the actions that are necessary. In most cases, the job of the ombudsman is done on a voluntary basis, without any pay for the services that are rendered. Being an intermediary, they work to find a resolution for the particular problems that individual residents of the nursing home are facing. The long term goal of this volunteer effort is to improve the quality of life for residents and make changes to the structure of the nursing home program that gives extra care and benefits to the patients.

In each state of the United States, there is an official ombudsman program that is organized by a full time employee of the program. These programs were started in 1972 to increase the level of care that residents receive in assisted living situations. In addition to the many paid staff members that are part of the local ombudsman program, the services are augmented by a growing number of volunteers that donate their time and effort. In addition to speaking directly with the patients, these ombudsmen also are in contact with the family of the patient to determine a clear set of goals for the patient.

Funding for each of the state ombudsman programs is completed with federal coffers that were built as part of the Older Americans Act. In addition, the money set aside in this legislation also supports other ombudsman information programs and resources, including the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center that routinely helps the local programs to attain their goals. Other organizations that are funded by the act include the National Association of States Agencies on Aging United for Aging and Disabilities, which provides training resources and technical help for all employees and volunteers within the official programs.