Purpose of the Study: Two consumer-derived measures of nursing home quality that have been underutilized by researchers are consumer complaints to the state certification agency between inspections and complaints to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. This article describes these complaints, considers facility-level predictors of complaints, and…

Analyzed national survey data on nursing home ombudsman programs to document three alternative formulations of advocacy: (1) individualized/developmentally focused; (2) individualized/patients' rights-focused, and (3) facility/patients' rights-focused. Programmatic efforts will be required to address disparities in conceptions of appropriate…

Compared effects of ombudsman programs on quality of nursing home care on random sample of 134 Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in Missouri. Found that presence of ombudsman program was most important factor associated with quality for intermediate-care facilities, and was significantly associated with quality for skilled…

Describes the volunteer advocacy program developed by the East Tennessee Advocacy Assistance Program to assist the ombudsman/director in resolving problems of residents in long-term care facilities. Effective volunteer participation requires intensive training, well-defined policies and procedures, coordination with aging network and long-term…

Long-term care ombudsman programs are charged with resolving complaints and solving problems of elderly persons in long-term care settings. Conducted content analysis of annual ombudsman program reports sent to Administration on Aging from 49 states in 1990. Found substantial variation in documented information at both state and local levels and…

Purpose: This article reports findings from a nationwide study on factors associated with the perceived effectiveness of state Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs (LTCOPs). Design and Methods: Researchers conducted telephone interviews with ombudsmen from the 50 state programs as well as from Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Data from the National…

Describes an age-integrated program serving residents in long-term care facilities in New York State. Describes the program's inception, the nature of recruitment efforts, and the content of the training program. A number of illustrations of volunteer ombudsmen interventions are presented for the purpose of providing an overview of services.…

Assessed the relationship between the presence of Oregon volunteer long-term care ombudsmen and externally handled abuse complaints, survey reports, and regulatory sanctions. Found presence of ombudsmen was related to increased abuse reporting and abuse complaint substantiation, more survey deficiencies, and higher sanction activity. (JBJ)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the decision-making abilities of residents in assisted living regarding abuse and neglect. Design and Methods: Twenty-seven residents in assisted living facilities were recruited for this descriptive study. Participants were administered an interview to assess baseline knowledge of support…