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AARP AARP States Oregon Caregiving

How can you make a difference? Volunteer to be an ombudsman

volunteering
In five years as an Oregon Long Term Care Ombudsman volunteer, I’ve seen a lot, sometimes inspiring, occasionally appalling. We are free, confidential advocates for the rights, dignity, and quality of life of adults in licensed nursing, residential care, assisted living, and adult foster care homes, where we visit, get to know residents, investigate complaints, watch and listen for problems and, with the resident’s approval, work to resolve them.

 

An elderly woman with diabetes might keep receiving her insulin medication much later than her doctor has instructed, endangering her health. Maybe a man in a foster care home needs help finding a cost-effective way to get a hearing aid, but his overworked caregivers seem too busy. Frequent intercom calls over loudspeakers in a memory care unit could be startling and annoying the residents and preventing the homelike atmosphere that state rules require. A man in in assisted living might be getting confused and having trouble managing his own finances but has never trusted the relative who has applied to be his guardian. Or a caregiver there might be talking disrespectfully to a retired businesswoman and ordering her around like a naughty child.

 

We could help with those problems and much more, but there aren’t nearly enough of us. Of the 650 licensed long term care facilities and more than 13,000 adult foster care homes in Oregon, only 52% are currently being served. With no ombudsman volunteers assigned to the rest, many vulnerable residents lack the regular advocates and protection they need. So please consider joining us!

 

Ombudsman volunteers receive initial training followed by regular support meetings and further training, make their own flexible schedules, and always have our professional staff to turn to. Many who volunteer are seeking a way to get out into the community and contribute, often after retiring. I was motivated by that and my grandmother’s experience in a 1970’s nursing home. Some volunteer in honor of a deceased elder, or to learn how to handle issues affecting the elderly. Some simply feel they would enjoy the work.

 

To learn more, call the LTCO program office at 800-522-2602 and/or visit its website at www.oregon.gov/ltco.

 

 

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