Page 17 - Mid Valley Times 8:1:19 E-edition

It doesn’t take a long time when you work in either a Nursing Care Center or an Assisted Living to meet an Om- budsman. So, who is the Ombudsman and what does he or she do?
e Webster’s de ni- tion of Ombudsman is: “a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and the employer or between students and a university.”
Following the estab- lishment of the Medicare and Medicaid program back in 1971, there was
Now What?
a dramatic increase in Nursing Care Centers for the elderly. Soon there- after the Federal Older American Act created the Long-Term Care Om- budsman Program and mandated “ e Ombuds- man serves on a fulltime basis, and shall person- ally or through repre- sentatives of the O ce, identify, investigate, and resolve complaints that are made by, or on behalf of residents. and relate to action, inaction, or deci- sions that may adversely a ect the health, safety, welfare, or right of the residents”(42 USC 0358g (a)(3)).
o can go a long way toward alleviating the pain associ- ated with tendinitis.
3. Recognize your body may develop some limita- tions.
Age should not prevent you from being physically active, and numerous studies have touted the bene ts of continuing to exercise into your golden years. However,
Thursday, August 1, 2019 | B5 | Mid Valley TiMes
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What is an Ombudsman?
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By Ro Linscheid
People come from all walks of life to volun- teer to be an Ombuds- man. Each person must pass a criminal back- ground clearance and complete a minimum of 36 hours of basic cer- ti cation training. e training includes the history and role of the Long-Term Care Om- budsman Program, the aging process, California’s long-term care setting, paying for long-term care, residents’ rights,
and the problem-solving process from investiga- tion to resolution and responding to reports
of elder and dependent adult abuse. Each Om- budsman must complete 12 hours of continuing education each year to maintain their certi ca- tion.
e training for cer- ti cation has strong em- phasis on problem solving and resolution. e idea is
as the body ages, muscle bers become less dense, re- sulting in a loss of exibility that increases the risk of in- jury and/or soreness. As men and women grow older, they shouldn’t abandon activities like gardening or strength training. But they may need to scale back on the intensity with which they perform such activities. Doing so can
to get to the root cause of a problem the resident is experiencing and pro- vide strategies that can empower the resident, and family, to resolve this issue at the lowest level possible. e Ombuds- man, with the resident’s permission, can help make the resident’s voice and concerns known and problem solved with the resident, family and sta of a facility. e Om- budsman is completely independent and can act as a referee, yet he or she has the statue of an agent of the government.
Barbara Harless is the Ombudsman for the Reedley long-term care communities. She can be found attending Resi- dent Council meetings, or walking the halls and chatting with whomever she encounters. A resi- dent or a family member may call on her to help resolve an issue. e nurs-
prevent the kinds of muscle strains associated with aging.
Pain a ects more than
ing home or the assisted living may also call on her to mediate a sensi- tive issue. It is a di cult job when you are looking for the root cause of a complaint and an Om- budsman must work with both sides of the issue to get to a satisfactory solu- tion.
e Long-Term Care Ombudsmen do their job on a voluntary basis. ere is some fund- ing from the Federal and State governments, but
it is minimal. e people who do this job do it be- cause they have an a n- ity for the senior popula- tion and want to advocate for a safe, healthy en- vironment where the resident can reside with the best quality of life possible.
e Long-Term Ombudsman program was started in the ‘70s and is still going strong
one billion people across the globe. But some simple strategies can help people
today for the bene t of the senior population. e Long-Term Care Om- budsman still primarily investigates and tries to resolve complaints made by, or on behalf of, indi- vidual residents in long- term care facilities. ey also investigate elder abuse complaints in any establishment that houses and cares for the elderly. e Ombudsman spends time in the facilities they have been assigned to and get to know the residents and the sta , and they will often show up unan- nounced and will come when asked to take part in resolving an issue.
It is a comfort and a blessing to the resi- dents and their families to know there is some- one independent, yet knowledgeable, who they can talk to and will nd answers, as well as speak for them when they have no voice.
overcome pain and enjoy a rich quality of life.
RETIRED...
aches & Pains
Continued from Previous Page
to take more days o be- tween rounds of golf or other competitive and/or repetitive activities. If tendinitis ares up, take some time away, icing any sore areas, wrap- ping them in bandages, and elevating them while resting. Athletes rarely want to sit on the sidelines, but a few days
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