Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Certified Ombudsmen are a listening ear as well as a voice for residents of long-term care.

Ombudsmen educate staff, residents, their families and the community about long-term care issues, resources, rights, and quality of life. 

The philosophy of the Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman is to:

• Advocate for the rights of residents.
• Receive, investigate and resolve resident complaints concerning quality of life.
• Monitor laws, regulations and policies which impact long-term care residents.
• Provide information to the public concerning long-term care.

The Ombudsman functions as a:

• Team member that works with staff and residents for quality care.
• Member of quality improvement teams, pointing out successes as well as areas that need additional work and/or resources.
• Voice for residents who are unable to speak for themselves.
• Advocate for resident choices.

A certified Ombudsman is assigned to one or more facilities. Each volunteer receives thirty hours of training before being assigned. Ongoing training is provided monthly. 

More Information
For details on how to choose a long-term care facility, resident rights, understanding the long-term care system, advocacy and related issues, please visit the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program website at [link]: http://www.waombudsman.org. 

The Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program uses highly trained community volunteers to support the work of a small staff. 

Currently, there are over 500 Certified LTC Ombudsmen in Washington State, with an average of 20 to 25 actively volunteering in Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties.