Anyone who has spent time in senior care, whether it’s as a professional or as someone on the receiving end of things, has heard the term “ombudsman.” But what does this word mean? What does an ombudsman do? Understanding this position can help you to ensure that your loved one is receiving the highest quality of care that they can get.
An ombudsman is usually a volunteer, but not always. They can sometimes be publicly appointed individuals and act as a community resource, connecting people with the services and rights that they are entitled to.
Sometimes, senior care organizations can have trouble recruiting an ombudsman to work on behalf of the elderly individuals that they care for. This is unfortunate. An ombudsman plays a very important role, even if it is one that is highly visible. A lot of what an ombudsman does is behind the scenes and bureaucratic in nature. They work with people receiving care, their families, and the people who are responsible for helping them to ensure that their needs are met and that they are done in the most appropriate manner. It’s a lot of responsibility, so it’s no wonder that this can be a tough position to fill. That doesn’t make it any less important, though.
Ultimately, an ombudsman is an advocate. They are in a role where they speak up for and defend the rights of seniors. Typically, an ombudsman is a role that is found in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, but that isn’t always the case. An ombudsman can be a publicly available role, working to benefit all seniors in their community regardless of living arrangements.
We care about high quality in-home care, and senior care in general. Although it’s not typical to see an ombudsman present in a service like in-home care, our goal is to make sure that each family we work with not only receives the best care that they can get, but that they are happy with the level of care and attention that they receive. We train each of our caregivers to do just that.
But we’re also realistic. It’s not always the care service that can be the best watchdog of the care service. Luckily, there are a lot of services that you can turn to in the San Francisco Bay Area that specialize in advocating for the rights of senior citizens. These are both private and publicly based organizations. Some specialize in the legal side of things while other groups focus more on specific issues, such as LGBT rights within the senior care business.
We encourage you to take advantage of these services if you feel that you need them. Senior care can be difficult to navigate, and having an advocate on your side is important. You want someone that’s familiar with the industry and the people within it. You also want someone that is familiar with what to do if things are not going the way that they should.
We’d love to share how we help. Please reach out if you have questions about how we protect the rights of each individual we serve.
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