The Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Makes a Difference

Sudden facility closure

When a Southern Maine nursing facility was forced to close, Ombudsman Program staff met with residents to discuss their discharge plans and to assist them in finding another facility that met each individual’s needs.

Helping an elderly couple remain together

When a married couple that required different levels of care reached the point where they needed to move into a long-term care facility, Ombudsman Program staff helped them find a facility that would allow them to share a room.

Home care advocacy

Ombudsman Program staff has been successful in assisting home care consumers in retaining services when reductions have been proposed.

Understaffed facility

Ombudsman volunteers visiting a nursing facility observed that direct care staffing in the facility was inadequate to meet residents’ needs. This was reported to the Department of Health and Human Services Licensing and Regulatory Services. As a result, action was taken to require the nursing facility to correct the problem.

Concerns about care corrected

When residents of a nursing facility had complaints about the quality of care being delivered, the Ombudsman Program assisted them in writing a letter to the facility’s administrator. Their concerns were successfully addressed and the facility fulfilled its obligation to meet care standards required by regulation.

Families work together

The Ombudsman Program assisted families of residents in a nursing facility to establish a Family Council. This active group was formed in response to concerns about the quality of care provided at the facility. The group met with facility administrative staff to express their concerns about the slow responses to call bells, inadequate training of staff and delays in the delivery of meals, as well as numerous other issues with care. Thanks to the group’s efforts, the problems were corrected.