Call for Volunteers Needed to Advocate for Long-Term Care Residents
October is National Long-Term Care Residents’ Rights Month, a time to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices many long-term care residents have made to better our community and to call attention to the rights of residents in nursing homes, assisted living, adult care facilities and family-type homes.
The theme for Residents’ Rights Month 2021 is “Reclaiming My Rights, My Home, My Life” to acknowledge the impact of COVID-19 this past year on residents and highlight the need for residents’ rights to be recognized and reasserted. It emphasizes the recognition of the long-term care facility as the residents’ home and underscores residents’ rights to dignity, choice and self-determination.
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a dedicated advocacy program available to anyone residing in a nursing home or other long-term care facility. The program advocates for residents to address their quality-of-life and quality-of-care issues, along with their rights. Locally, the Tri-County LTC Ombudsman Program serves Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, and is sponsored by the Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC). If you or a loved one need an advocate in long-term care, please call 914-500-3406 or e-mail judy@ltccc.org.
We need now, more than ever, dedicated volunteers to advocate for nursing home and other long-term care residents. Please consider volunteering in your area to advocate for this vulnerable population. As a volunteer certified ombudsman, you can help ensure that the voices of long-term care residents do not go unheard.
To learn more about making a difference as a volunteer with the Ombudsman Program, visit https://nursinghome41l/ltcop/volunteer.
Judy A. Farrell
Program Director, Tri-County LTC Ombudsman Program
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