The LTC Ombudsman Program serves as an advocate and resource for older adults who reside in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living and board & care homes. Ombudsmen help residents and their families understand and exercise their rights to quality of care and quality of life. The program advocates for residents at both the individual and systems levels by receiving, investigating and resolving complaints made by or on behalf of residents, promoting the development of resident and family councils, and informing governmental agencies, providers and the general public about issues and concerns impacting residents of long-term care facilities.

Under the Older Americans Act, each state is required to establish an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Each state organizes and operates the program in the way that best serves the needs of its residents. Most of the state ombudsman programs (38) are administratively housed within the State Unit on Aging and provide advocacy services through a network of local or regional staff and volunteers (15 programs are housed in other state agencies or are contracted outside of state government).

In 2002, a corps of 8,000 volunteer ombudsmen, located in 578 local agencies (354 of which were area agencies on aging) investigated more than 261,000 complaint issues for residents of long-term care facilities and routinely visited residents to monitor care.
For additional information on the ombudsman program visit:

Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Administration on Aging)
National Ombudsman Resource Center
NASUA provides information, technical assistance, and develops resources for State LTC Ombudsman Programs through its involvement with the National Ombudsman Resource Center, funded by AoA. Specifically, NASUA orients new State Unit on Aging directors to the ombudsman program and long term care facility issues; convenes National Dialogue Forums on current issues of importance, such as nursing home transition initiatives, diversity, guardianship, and legislative advocacy; and presents at state and national conferences for LTCOPs and the aging network.

For additional information on the National Ombudsman Resource Center visit:
National Ombudsman Resource Center

Nursing Facility Transition
Learn more about diversion and transition initiatives >>

A Resource Kit for Ombudsman Programs
Click here for more details

Publications
View selected publications below related to the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program: (all links to pdf files)

Charting the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program’s Role in a Modernized Long-Term Care System
What's It All About? Ombudsman Program Primer for State Aging Directors and Executive Staff (January 1996)
Strategy Brief: The Ombudsman Program and Caregiver Suppport (April 2007)
Strategy Brief: The Ombudsman Program and End of Life Issues in Long-Term Care Facilities (December 2006)
Time and Leadership: Keys to Building Synergy Between State Ombudsmen and State Aging Directors (October 2006)
Ombudsman Program Outcome Measures (May 2006)
Strategy Brief: Ombudsman Program Advocacy in Guardianship (May 2006)
Strategy Brief: The Ombudsman Program and Legislative Advocacy (May 2006)
Resource Brief: Ombudsman Program Memoranda of Understanding (April 2006)
Quality in Medicaid Assisted Living: The Ombudsman Program's Role and Perspective (December 2005)
Strategy Brief: Ombudsman Program Responses to Diversity (August 2005)
Medicare Rx: Ombudsman Program Preparations for Assisting LTC Residents (May 2005)
Legal Counsel and Representation of the Ombudsman Program (March 2005)
Strategy Brief: Ombudsman Program Involvement in Nursing Home Transition Activities (December 2004)
Resource Brief: Ombudsman Program Data Management Systems (July 2004)
Strategy Brief: Ombudsman Program Connections to Home and Community Based Services (July 2004)
LTC Ombudsmen Talk About Guardianship (February 2004)
Best Practices: Ombudsman and Aging I&R/A Programs (January 2004)
Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: Structure, Responsibilities, Quality and Funding (2003)
Volunteer Consultants: Extending Reach of Ombudsman Programs (May 2003)
Obtaining Medicaid Funding for the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program: The Experience Of Eight States (June 2001)