Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP)
The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) provides a voice for consumers of long-term care services in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult care facilities, adult foster homes, county homes and in private residences. Ombudsman staff seek to identify, verify and resolve concerns regarding quality of life and quality of care in the above settings.
Eligibility Requirements
Long-term care consumers, regardless of age, who reside in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult care facilities, adult foster homes, and county homes, and those residing in their own homes receiving home and community based care services.
Services Available
Ombudsman work with long-term care consumers, families, facility staff members and providers of long-term care services to resolve complaints in an objective, unbiased, confidential manner. Their investigations and actions are client-driven; the client or appropriate representative directs the ombudsmen as to how far to proceed with the investigation.
Ombudsman answer requests for information regarding rights and choices in long-term care matters including nursing home selection. Education of consumers, staff and the general public on the rights of consumers of long-term care. Resolution strategies which include advocacy, education, mediation, negotiation and empowerment.
Contact the Ombudsman staff at the Area Agency on Aging 3 by calling:
419-222-0563 or 1-800-653-7778
Ombudsman are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or you may leave a message. Your concern will be handled in a confidential manner.
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Consumers for Quality Care, No Matter Where
An Initiative of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
Consumers for Quality Care, No Matter Where, is a three-year initiative of The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. The project is funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and The SCAN Foundation.
As part of the initiative, the Consumer Voice will conduct pilot projects in five states. In those states, the Consumer Voice will partner with state and local organizations to develop strategies to address key public policy issues and to mobilize a strong consumer voice around the need for accessible, well-coordinated, quality home and community-based care. The primary focus will be on services and supports received in an individual’s home. Ohio is the first pilot state and the State’s Ombudsman office is actively involved in the Initiative.
The Initiative is intended to be a partnership between the Consumer Voice and the states.
What your state will gain
• A larger, more diverse consumer advocacy network
• Consumers with strengthened advocacy skills.
• An increased number of consumers that are informed and educated on HCBS issues
• An enhanced system for providing information to and receiving information from consumers
• A range of consumer resources/materials (such as factsheets, brochures, etc.)
• A report that reflects the perspective of consumers in your state of quality in HCBS
• Consumer stories to use in your advocacy
• Assistance in developing or enhancing and implementing your HCBS advocacy agenda
• Information about model systems/practices
• National visibility and recognition
State advisory committee
There will be an advisory committee in each state that will guide the project over the three year period.
The State advisory committee will meet by phone every two months for the first six months of the project and quarterly thereafter.
Meetings will be chaired by the Consumer Voice Project Director(s) and a state coordinator.
The work of the state advisory committee will include:
• Assisting with:
o Developing a report about the consumer perspective on quality in home and community based services in the state
• Establishing criteria for selecting HCBS consumers to be interviewed
• Identifying consumers receiving home and community-based services who are willing to be interviewed
• Creating questions to ask consumers
• Helping determine how best to interview consumers (individually by phone, in a group, etc.)
• Conducting consumer interviews or focus groups (if possible)
• o Creating consumer resources and materials for your state, including advocacy tools
• o Educating consumers about home and community-based services at the state and at the federal levels and state and national policy issues related to HCBS
• o Training consumers to advocate for themselves or others
• o Training consumers to conduct public policy advocacy at both the state and national levels
• o Engaging consumers in public policy advocacy in order to advance the state HCBS agenda and Consumer Voice policy agenda
• o Creating or expanding a database of consumers interested in state and federal advocacy
• Identifying minority, LGBT and disability groups within the state for the Consumer Voice to contact
• Identifying groups, organizations and individuals for the Consumer Voice to contact
• Recruiting consumers who are interested in long-term care issues and wish to be part of a state and federal advocacy network
• Connecting the Consumer Voice to consumers who can share their stories
• Recommending topics for national training conference calls
• Sharing members’ perspective on: HCBS at the state level (for instance, are programs meeting consumers’ needs) ; implementation of the health reform law; and the impact of fiscal problems on HCBS services
• Informing the Consumer Voice about ways it can help support HCBS advocacy in the state and how the Consumer Voice can work with the state to advance federal HCBS issues
• Submit simple reports on project activities and progress, and final report which includes an evaluation of consumers reached, lessons learned, and copies of consumer materials/ tools developed
