Going to Bat for the Sick and Elderly
In a recent short hospital stay, I was amazed at the quick response any time I called for a nurse. Imagine, however, being elderly and bedridden and nobody answers the call button when you need it.
It happens on occasion at Orange County’s roughly 90 nursing facilities and 725 licensed residential board and care homes.
But you--or your loved one at these places--can do something about it. There’s an advocacy group set up to address such complaints.
You can call its ombudsman. Someone will respond to your call immediately.
The full name of whom to call is a bit more to handle. It’s the nonprofit Council on Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, serving on a contract to the Area Agency on Aging. It responds to hundreds of reported complaints each year, but also gathers complaints through regular unannounced visits to these facilities by its 12 paid, part-time investigators and 35 trained volunteers.
But even then, says ombudsman coordinator Rochelle Woolery, they don’t learn every- thing. “We believe the majority of instances of verbal abuse and neglect go unreport- ed,” said Woolery. “People are too embar- rassed or fear com- plaining.”
Problems range from financial exploitation, residential rights, the food, neglect and in some cases physical abuse.
The vast majority of these long-term care places, the experts emphasize, are properly run and deserve their licenses. But even they can have problems flare up.
When you’ve decided that a loved one needs such assisted living, you should be selective. And do your homework.
The Ombudsman Program keeps track of each facility’s record for citations or other sanctions. Before you sign with any of them, you should call the ombudsman number--(714) 479-0107--to see what negative reports might be on their records.
You can also call that same number with any complaints you have. The program isn’t there as a mediator; it’s your advocate.
“Many elderly don’t have family members to represent them,” points out Victoria McKemy of Stanton, co-chair of a recent fund-raiser for the program. “The [ombudsman] volunteers befriend many of them.”
Persuasion Powers
Most complaints are ironed out with facility managers. The program has no enforcement powers, and many abuses are hard to prove. But Woolery’s people do have persuasion powers. The caregivers know the ombudsman can trot over to the licensing agency with an official complaint. That could lead to citations, civil penalties or even the rare license suspension.
John Grant, local supervisor of the state licensing division for board and cares, credits the Ombudsman Program for being one of its best tipsters for what’s going on within these group homes. It also gets reports from consumers, police and local hospital emergency rooms.
“The caregivers want to do a good job,” Grant said. “But even so, they can run into problems.”
Many of those problems stem from too much work with too little staff.
One caregiver for six residents might be OK if helping is all the caregiver does. But often, Woolery points out, the caregiver also winds up the cook and housekeeper, which takes needed time away from the residents.
“Some of these places start out with good intentions,” she said, “but then they get in over their heads. Taking care of others is really, really hard work. Not everyone can do it.”
