Residents of nursing homes are often at their most vulnerable stage in life. Entrusting a loved one to a long-term care facility can be a tough decision. Concerns about quality of care and feelings of guilt are common.
High-quality nursing homes can deliver enormous benefit as places of comfort and healing and are an important part of the array of long-term care options from which individuals and families can choose.
In a 2018 report to Congress, Ruth Ann Dorrill, Regional Inspector General with the U.S. Office of Inspector General (OIG), said nursing homes provide a clinically managed care recovery period after illness and injury that can make the difference between more good years ahead or a downward spiral. For long-term-care residents and their families, nursing homes can provide responsible and much-needed care to those in fragile health, Derrill reported.
Many nursing homes provide excellent care and are diligent in protecting residents. But an alarming number of residents are subject to costly medical harm, unsafe conditions, and abuse and neglect, much of it preventable with better practices and oversight, according to Derrill.
In a nation-wide review, the OIG found that one-third of residents in nursing homes experienced harm from the care provided in the nursing homes and more than half of the harm were preventable had the facilities provided better care.
Recognizing the vulnerability of residents of long-term care facilities, the federal government requires states to provide an independent Ombudsman program specifically tasked with advocating on behalf of residents, investigating complaints made by or on behalf of a resident, and assisting them in exercising their civil rights.
“Nursing home residents have the same rights as you and I and there are advocates available to help ensure their rights are protected and their wishes followed,” says local long-term care ombudsman, Jerry Stevens.
Stevens is a part of the Michigan Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and serves Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The program aim is to improve the quality of care and quality of life experienced by the over 100,000 Michigan residents who reside in licensed long-term care facilities which include nursing homes, adult foster care homes and assisted living facilities.
“We work to ensure residents receive the quality of care and quality of life they deserve,” Stevens says.
Fielding complaints from 310 residents last year, Stevens reports issues run the gamut from food served cold to lost personal belongings to issues of quality of care. The most often cited complaint in 2018 was about quality of care.
“We’re able to resolve close to 98% of resident complaints to their satisfaction,” Stevens says. “Often just getting facility staff to listen and understand the issues from the resident’s perspective is enough. Staff usually want to address the issues once they understand them.”
Key services provided by Ombudsmen across the country include:
- Identifying, investigating and resolving complaints made by or on behalf of long-term care residents. Issues can range from simple quality-of-life concerns such as poor food service or incompatibility with a roommate, to questions about Medicare and Medicaid billing, up to complaints of patient abuse and neglect.
- Making routine, unannounced visits to long-term care facilities to monitor the general condition and care of residents.
- Representing the interests of residents to government agencies and seeking administrative, legal and other remedies.
Ombudsmen also address and attempt to rectify the broader underlying cases of problems for residents of long-term care facilities. When working on the system level, ombudsmen advocate for policy change by evaluating and commenting on policy and regulations, providing education to the public and facility staff, disseminating data and promotion the development of citizen organizations and resident and family councils.
As a part of that systems-level work, Stevens serves on Michigan Attorney General Nessel’s Elder Abuse Task Force.
Ombudsmen advocate for the resident in the facilities, guided by the wishes of the resident. All services are provided under strict confidentiality. Ombudsmen cannot share information about the resident or the resident’s concerns without the resident’s permission.
The Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is funded by federal and state government. There is no cost to residents or families for ombudsman services.
To find an Ombudsman near you, call (866) 485-9393.