A typical day in the life of a volunteer ombudsman might involve cases that look like this:
Request from a family to attend a care meeting for their loved one who is a diabetic and has developed bedsores in a facility. There is a question about whether or not the resident has been getting the correct therapeutic meals. An appointment is set up. The Ombudsman will work with the family, facility administrator, and licensing body to resolve the issues.
Request from a daughter to intervene as her Mother is being denied continued rehabilitation due to her dementia, and her inability to follow directions. The Ombudsman attends a meeting with the facility staff, family, and HMO case manager to resolve the issue. Physical therapy is restored.
A grandaughter calls to advise that she arrived at the facility to find her grandmother in pain. The Ombudsman investigates and finds that the facility had failed to respond to a call bell during the night. When no one answered the call bell, the resident attempted to get to the bathroom unassisted and fell. When help finally arrived, she was put back into bed without an assessment of her injuries. The Ombudsman advised that the resident should be taken to the emergency room. After an examination, it was discovered that the resident had broken her arm. The Ombudsman reported the incident to the licensing body and the facility was cited for allowing the resident’s symptoms to go untreated, and for the lack of response to the call bell.
A facility requests help from their Ombudsman to deal with an abusive wife who visits her demented husband. The wife claims that he has abused her all their married life and that it is now his turn to suffer. The Ombudsman works with the facility to set up limited, supervised visits.
A day care program administrator reports that one of their clients, "James," had arrived that morning with a burn on the back of his neck. Upon investigation, the Ombudsman finds that James, a resident in an adult facility for the developmentally disabled, had gotten into a scuffle with his roommate, "Sam," who pulled a knife on him. In an attempt to separate them, a caregiver used a hot light bulb, burning James in the process. James' mother, and his conservator, reported that sometimes the facility "forgets to give him his medications," and that James then goes out of control. Working with all involved parties, the following resolutions were achieved: (a) the facility was cited for abuse and mismanagement of medications (b) Sam's recurring bad behavior led to his transfer to another facility where he is provided one-on-one care (c) the facility, now being closely watched by Ombudsman Services and the licensing body, is steadily improving its supervision and quality of life and safety issues for its residents.
A facility is attempting to evict a resident, ostensibly for non-payment of share of costs. The resident has been there 6 years and has never paid his share of costs. The Ombudsman discovers that the real reason for the eviction is the resident and his roommate, got into a fight. The police were called to intervene. The Ombudsman has worked with the facility to resolve the issue, and the resident is no longer targeted for eviction. The resident now has a different roommate.
Ombudsman receives a message from a family asking for assistance in finding an appropriate facility for a loved one. The Ombudsman spends an hour on the phone assisting the family with choices.
Every day brings different situations needing Ombudsman assistance. The work is sometimes hard, but always rewarding.
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