Pennsylvanias Standardized Ombudsman Orientation

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Pennsylvanias StandardizedOmbudsman Orientation
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Welcome to PAsLong Term Care Ombudsman Program

• You are joining a dedicated group of over 100
  Ombudsmen housed within the Area Agencies on
  Aging including subcontractors, 600 volunteers,
  and 400 graduates from the PAs Empowered Expert
  Residents program.

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What is an Ombudsman?

• Established under the Older Americans Act 1965
• Funded to assist nursing home residents resolve
  their problems with quality of care.
• A Swedish term meaning citizens representative
• PA Department of Aging contracts with 52 Area
  Agencies on Aging to deliver services at the
  local level.

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Six Components of the Ombudsman Program

• Consumerdirected
• Legally based
• Impartial
• Highly visible
• Access to facilities, residents, records
• Non-partisan

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What is PEER?

• Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents
• Began Spring 2002 by a pioneering group of
  residents in Cambria Countyinterested in
  training to improve their self-advocacy skills.
• PEERs complete a series of 5 training sessions
• PEERs advocate on behalf of themselves and fellow
  residents in long term care settings.
• Volunteer Ombudsmen canand dotrain new PEERs,
  help with PEER meetings and meet with PEERs
  regularly to address issues in the facilities
  they visit.

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What is a Regional Ombudsman Coordinator (ROC)?

• Under contract with PAs State Ombudsmans Office
  (4 currently)
• Assist the AAAs with volunteer recruitment,
  training, technical assistance and management.
• Assist with content of the program newsletters.
• Maintain resource library of videos and books
  available to staff and volunteer Ombudsmen.
• Who is your ROC?

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Getting to know your local program

• Do you know how many volunteers we have in our
  county and how many hours they volunteered last
  year alone?
• Do you know how valuable you will be to our
  program?
• Do you know who will be your supervisor?
• Do you know there are many training opportunities
  available to you?
• Do you know how often will we meet?
• Do you know what is a conflict of interest?

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The Starfish Story

• Please read the Starfish story located in the
  Standardized Ombudsman Orientation Guide
• Thank You for Choosing to Make a Difference!

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Consumer Resident

• Nothing begins or ends without the consent of the
  Resident.
• You should always knock before entering a
  residents room and get permission before
  entering.
• It is important that the Resident directs all
  activitieseven the visit.
• If the resident says no, we should always
  respect their wishes.

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Quality of Life is the Universal Goal of the
Ombudsman program

• Quality of life is different for each and every
  one of us.
• The goal is to strive for those individual
  differences and the challenge is how the facility
  can meet them.
• As Ombudsmen, we must respect each individual's
  right to quality of life and attempt to advocate
  for that in each situation.

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Scope and Limitations of the Ombudsman Program

• As trained Ombudsmen, you have access to
  facilities and the consumers who live there.
• Only consumers can deny access.
• You are not an undercover agent.
• Remember that you work for the client/consumer.
• We only act with the clients consent.
• Confusion is not a legal finding of incompetence
  or incapacity.

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How many hats can you wear?

• Educator
• Visible Presence
• Enabler
• Broker
• Catalyst
• Facilitator
• Mediator
• Negotiator
• Advocate
• Complainant
  

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Imminent Risk

• What defines Imminent Risk?
• What do you do if you witness
• No food in the facility to feed residents and the
  administrator cannot be reached.
• Batteries removed from smoke detectors.
• An incident of physical abuse.

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Self-advocacy is Extremely Important

• Ombudsmen cannot be
• everywhere at all times for all clients.
• Ombudsmen seek to empower
• consumers to self-advocate.

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Why do we need Volunteer Ombudsman?

• Increase Timeliness
• Volunteers who live in a particular town or
  geographic area can make more prompt initial
  contacts with consumers.
• Expand Skills and Expertise
• Volunteers bring many skills to the Ombudsman
  program such as language, computer and office
  management skills.
• Increase Personalization of Service
• When consumers have increase exposure to the
  Ombudsman Program, trust and credibility
  increase.

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What are your talents?
Why do we need Volunteer Ombudsman? (contd)

• Expand Service/Hours
• Volunteers can reach more residents and can visit
  during evenings and weekends
• Expanded Knowledge Base
• The more contact the Ombudsman Program has with
  long term care providers and its consumers, the
  more current and accurate our knowledge base
  becomes.

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An Ombudsman is NOT!

• a care provider
• a surveyor or regulator
• a vigilante
• an undercover agent
• a financial, medical or spiritual advisor
• or, the answer to all problems

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Clear Expectations

• Job description
• Time commitment
• Facility assignment

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Confidentiality

• Confidentiality Statement
• All conversations with consumer about his/her
  case need to occur in private
• Safeguard records
• Avoid gossip
• Redirect questions
• Be an advocate - respect confidentiality
• Respect the Consumers choice (Right to share or
  withdraw)

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Ombudsman Code of Ethics

• Respect for human dignity.
• Self-determination and Self-resolution.
• Respect consumers or legal representatives
  wishes.
• Acts to protect against abuse, neglect,
  exploitation and abandonment.
• Safeguards the consumers rights to
  confidentiality and privacy.
• Maintains competence in areas relevant to the
  long term living system.

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Ombudsman Code of Ethics

• Provides advocacy services unrestricted by his or
  her personal beliefs
• Promotes and supports a quality long term living
  system.
• Acts to maintain the integrity of the long term
  care Ombudsman program.
• Supports a strict conflict of interest standard.
• Conducts him or herself in a manner that
  strengthens the local, statewide and national
  Ombudsman network.

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Long Term Care ServicesNursing Facilities

• Do you know what a nursing home facility is and
  other types of names for them?
• Did you know that the Department of Health
  regulates nursing homes in Pennsylvania?
• A person entering a nursing home must be deemed
  appropriate for that level of care. Do you know
  how a level of care is assessed?

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Long Term Care ServicesPersonal Care Homes

• Do you know what a personal care home is and
  other types of names for them?
• Did you know that the Department of Welfare
  regulates personal care homes in Pennsylvania?

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Long Term Care ServicesDomiciliary Care Homes
(DOM CARE)

• Do you know what a DOM CARE home is?
• Did you know that the Department of Aging is the
  regulatory agency for DOM CARE homes in
  Pennsylvania?

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Other LTC Services in Pennsylvania

• Home Community Based Services
• Older Adult Day Care Centers

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Long Term Care Services

• Do you know how many personal care homes there
  are in this county?
• Do you know how many nursing homes are in this
  county?
• How about DOM Care homes or Older Adult Day Care
  Centers?

• Where would you like to volunteer?

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Resident Rights

• Can You Pass the Resident Rights Quiz?

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Protective Services

• Types of Abuse
• Key People in Protective Services
• Imminent Risk and Criteria for Protective
  Services Referral
• Mandatory Reporting
• After-Hour Emergencies
• How Does Protective Service Interface with the
  Ombudsman Program?

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Tier I Training Requirements

• Attend and Complete a full day training session
  in its entirety (830 a.m. 400 p.m.) in order
  to be certified by the PA State LTC Ombudsman
  Office as a Volunteer Ombudsman.
• Volunteers will receive their Certificate and
  the Identification Ombudsman Badge once training
  is completed.
• Please note the training session will focus on
  communication skills, confidentiality,
  observation skills, how to make facility visits,
  quality of life and documentation skills.

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Congratulations!

• Thank you!
• Welcome to the
• PA State LTC Ombudsman Team!