ARISE Seeks Volunteers for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

by Contributor | September 19, 2017 1:19 pm

SYRACUSE: Have you ever spent time in a nursing home? Perhaps you were there for rehab or perhaps you have a loved one who lived in one.

If so, you know that they can be difficult to get used to.

Nobody wants to go to a nursing home, right? Sometimes however, it’s the only viable option.

Did you know there is a volunteer program designed to help ensure residents of nursing homes have the best quality of life possible? It’s called the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

ARISE oversees this program in Onondaga, Cortland, Oswego, and Cayuga counties, and relies on the efforts of Ombudsman volunteers.

ARISE is seeking volunteers who want to be part of this enriching effort and is offering a free training course.

The purpose of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is to protect the health, safety, welfare, and civil rights of people living in nursing homes and adult care facilities.

Certified Ombudsmen in the program are trained and certified volunteers who advocate for residents’ rights and ensure that their complaints are resolved to support a higher quality of life.

Those who have experienced the program as a volunteer have wonderful things to say about it.

Judy Fox, an Ombudsman in Cayuga County, said, “The best thing I can do for someone is to give them my time and my patience.”

As an ombudsman, you will have the opportunity to regularly visit a local nursing home or other adult care facility to advocate for residents and help ensure they are receiving quality, person-centered care.

Long-Term Care Ombudsmen must complete a free training course to become certified.

This course will give them all of the tools they need to be able to advocate for the residents properly.

ARISE will offer the free Ombudsman training course for interested volunteers on October 26, 30 and 31 and November 2 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.

The training will be hosted by Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Coordinator Jeffrey Parker.

People interested in learning more about this program or the training should contact Parker at (315) 671-5108 or [email protected].

About ARISE

ARISE is a non-profit Independent Living Center run by and for people with disabilities.

The organization has been providing advocacy and services since 1979 and each year ARISE works with approximately 7,000 people of all ages who have all types of disabilities.

ARISE offers services in Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, Cayuga and Seneca counties and also operates ARISE at the Farm, a 77-acre recreational facility in Chittenango, and ARISE & Ski at Toggenburg Winter Sports Center in Fabius.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/community/arise-seeks-volunteers-for-long-term-care-ombudsman-program/

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