Watchdogs For Elderly Ombudsmen Work To Ensure Long-Term Care Facilities Meet Basic Standards

Who’s looking out for grandma?

If she lives in a long-term care facility - and if she’s lucky - the sweet, silver-haired lady receives frequent visits from caring relatives.

In reality, many seniors face their final years alone. They rely on state agencies, which typically inspect facilities once a year, to catch lapses in care. They also rely on certified volunteer ombudsmen, who are trained to spot problems and mediate solutions.

Unfortunately, state agencies are far from perfect when it comes to monitoring nursing homes, boarding homes and adult family homes, according to results of a recent study by the Washington State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.

And the Ombudsman program itself is stretched so thin, especially in the Spokane Valley, that it has become more of a spider web than a safety net.

“The Valley (situation) is critical,” said Linda Miel, regional director of the Ombudsman program. She oversees the program in five counties, including Spokane.

With just five volunteers in the Valley, Miel can provide regular visits to only a fraction of the Valley’s nursing homes, boarding homes and adult family homes. Volunteers are assigned to just one of four nursing homes, one of 11 boarding homes and five of 80 adult family homes, she said.

As a result, problems go unnoticed and unaddressed.

The Ombudsman program, which operates in every county in every state, is mandated by the federal Older Americans Act. It’s funded by the state and federal governments.

Volunteers work to protect patients’ rights.

There are enough Valley facilities to keep at least 25 volunteers busy, said Miel, who hopes to strengthen the safety net next month. She’s offering a training course, and hopes to expand the force of Valley volunteers.

The oversight is needed, Miel said, because problems do exist in patient care. Even seemingly insignificant issues can be highly distressing in the eyes of elderly residents. And not all problems are insignificant.

Since 1995, the state Department of Social and Health Services has revoked or suspended the licenses of seven Valley adult family homes.

Eight months ago, the state shut down a Spokane Valley nursing home. State inspections said a patient at Valleycrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was denied food and medication, and others who couldn’t feed themselves didn’t receive assistance. Workers didn’t wash feces from patients’ hands, an inspector said.

Valley ombudsmen and staff helped about 80 residents find new homes, Miel said.

Despite such strong actions, a recent statewide study by the Ombudsman program concluded that vulnerable residents were not adequately protected by state regulatory agencies. The study, requested by the Washington State Legislature, concluded that regulatory agencies took too long to investigate complaints, failed to talk to residents or family members during annual inspections and were slow to sanction facilities that repeatedly failed to fix serious violations.

State officials insist that all serious complaints are handled promptly. If there are cracks in state regulatory methods, that makes visiting ombudsman even more essential.

Miel’s office, which oversees five Eastern Washington counties, handled 421 complaints in the five counties in the 12 months ending June 30.

“They’ve been very helpful for us,” said Carol Dikes, social service director of Sunshine Gardens, a Valley nursing home with 84 residents. Ombudsmen, she said, have helped resolve several disagreements at her facility. “Every time we settle an issue, it’s rewarding,” said volunteer ombudsman Gus Apsey.

The Valley retiree visits half a dozen adult family homes weekly. “The residents are so happy to see you, to talk to someone,” he said.

Still, building trust takes time, he said, and lack of volunteers has made that a scarce commodity.

“What concerns me is I don’t have the Valley nursing homes covered,” said Miel, who has lost three volunteers since January.

It’s not an easy volunteer position. There’s three full days of training - eight hours more than is required of adult family home operators. The work requires good listening skills and patience. And, it can be emotionally draining.

Residents turn into friends, then pass away. Apsey has lost several.

“The amazing thing is their dignity, their fight to continue,” he said. “It’s extremely rewarding.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: These 2 sidebars appeared with the story:

1. SPECIAL REPORT SUNDAY The assisted living industry has grown dramatically in the Valley, as well as throughout the region and the nation, during the last five years. Look for a special report examining this new approach to elder care the IN Life section of Sunday’s newspaper.

2. VOLUNTEER TRAINING New ombudsmen will be trained in early October. Interested volunteers should contact Linda Miel at 456-7133 as soon as possible so they can complete the screening process prior to the training. Anyone in need of an ombudsman’s help can also call Miel at the above number.