Long-term Care
Ombudsman ProgramThe Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is a free and confidential service which advocates for the quality of life and care for the more than 13,000 residents of long term care facilities in Santa Clara County. The Long Term Care Ombudsman assists residents and their families in resolving problems; visits long term care facilities regularly to receive complaints; promotes Residents’ rights as well as quality of life.
Services
Residents of Skilled Nursing Facilities.
Residents of Residential Care/Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly.
Family and friends of residents.
Other Professionals.
The community at large.
Preserve the rights and dignity of long-term care residents.
Communicate the needs of those too frail or isolated to help themselves.
Represent the community's concern for the welfare of our most frail and senior members.
Maintains a presence in long-term care facilities through trained and certified staff and volunteers.
Advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. Visit long-term care facilities regularly and unannounced. Clarify long-term care facility regulations and offer information to callers on the long-term care environment. Assist with referrals to community resources. Witness Advance Health Care Directive for skilled nursing home residents.
Quick LinksContact Information
1- 408-944-0567
1- 800-231-4024 711
TTY FAX: 1- 408-944-0776
Eligibility
Residents of Long-Term Care facilities in Santa Clara County.
Languages
English, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Punjabi, Hindi, Farsi
Volunteer Opportunities
The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is a community based, Volunteer supported program. Volunteers: A Voice of positive change. Santa Clara County Long Term Care Data: 52 (Skilled) Nursing Facilities 320+ Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly/Assisted Living Over 13,000 long term care Residents 17 State Certified Ombudsman Volunteers.
Volunteer opportunities include table leaders, servers and kitchen support. Please contact volunteer@catholiccharitiesscc.org. All Catholic Charities volunteers are required to complete a background check and TB testing.
Updated Information In Regards To COVID-19
The Ombudsman Program visits approximately 11,000 residents per year. We have staff members and volunteers making calls, with an active volume of 20-40 calls per week.
Increased isolation for our seniors can lead to unfortunate outcomes. All facilities (nursing homes and assisted living facilities) are strongly encouraged to provide access via other means for residents to stay connected - phone calls, Facetime, etc. We hope to purchase tablets for some of the 6-bed type facilities using the CARES funding we will receive to encourage face time, and other electronic means to connect residents with family.
The Ombudsman program hopes to use some of the CARES funding to purchase several tablets to distribute. It would help residents stay connected with family/friends during this crisis as well as allowing the Ombudsman to speak with a staff face-to-face, this will encourage honesty while answering important questions concerning the care and safety of the residents. The Ombudsman program will identify the facilities that would benefit from the gift of a tablet.
If you have concerns nursing/residential home care, please call! We will follow through with contacting the facility in question and see how to fix the problem and/or set up a videoconference time with the family and the client, and work with the facility.
The Ombudsman program investigates issues, speaking first to the resident (if the resident has capacity - if not we will speak to the responsible party or conservator) and proceed with the investigation of the issue. Depending on the issue, the Ombudsman may decide to involve licensing or other appropriate agencies to help resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the resident.