What Does a Volunteer Ombudsman Do?

The program is always looking for people with compassion, tact, common sense and a good attitude to volunteer. Volunteers hail from all walks of life: physicians, teachers, clergy, homemakers, nurses, to name a few. The common thread, and by far the most important trait, is that they all want to improve the quality of life for long-term care residents.

As a volunteer ombudsman, you will receive initial and ongoing training from experts in various areas of elder rights, laws and advocacy. You will be assigned to one or two facilities near your home and your core duties will include:

• Visiting residents of long-term care facilities
• Listening to their concerns and problems while having a friendly visit
• Reporting to the Volunteer Program Director, who will supervise and guide you as you follow through in responding to the needs of residents.

Some volunteers choose to have additional duties and receive more training to do the following:

• Making unannounced visits to facilities to observe general conditions, talk to residents and ensure residents and staff are aware of the Ombudsman Program
• Providing in-service training to facility staff on Residents’ Rights and Recognizing and Preventing Abuse and Neglect.