If someone close to you lives in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you expect staff to provide safe and respectful care. Sometimes, however, the care your relative receives may not meet those expectations. Staff might ignore a request, or you could see treatment that troubles you. When that happens, you may not know where to seek assistance.
A long-term care ombudsman could help you understand your relative’s rights and address a problem with the facility. The program advocates for residents and helps resolve complaints about their care or services.
Understand the ombudsman’s role
An ombudsman advocates for the person receiving long-term care. You could ask about your relative’s rights or explain what happened. If you raise a problem for someone else, the ombudsman generally follows your relative’s wishes when deciding how to respond.
This gives you a way to help while still respecting your relative’s choices. An ombudsman might help your relative explain what they want or speak with staff for them. The ombudsman follows your relative’s wishes when deciding what to do next.
Get help raising the issue
An ombudsman may contact facility staff to discuss the problem and try to resolve it in a way that fits your relative’s wishes. The Delaware Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program could also explain complaint or appeal options when one fits the situation.
Some issues may fall outside the ombudsman’s role. In those cases, the program might help you find the state office that handles the matter.
Keep useful records together
Before you contact the program, you may want to write down what happened and gather any written records from the facility. A notice, email or other message might help you explain the problem more clearly. Keeping those details together could also help as you plan for later care needs and decide what fits your relative’s situation.