A: "Ombudsman" comes from the Swedish word "ombud" which means representative or agent.

A: An individual who has been trained by the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to promote the implementation of the Residents' Bill of Rights in long-term care facilities (nursing homes and assisted living facilities). The volunteer monitors the quality of care provided; maintains contact with residents and counsels them regarding any complaints or concerns; and represents their interests to the facility staff. The volunteer is assigned to work at a specific facility and must be free from a direct conflict of interest* in performing his or her duties.

*Direct conflicts of interest can include employment by or a business relationship with a long term care facility. If the applicant’s family members have these relationships, that may pose a conflict. An applicant whose family member has been in a specific local facility in the past two years will not be eligible for assignment to that facility. (Starting "fresh" at an "unknown" facility has proven to result in better working relationships by all involved.)

A: No. A volunteer ombudsman is a friendly advocate who visits the long-term care facility to monitor conditions and actively represent the needs of the residents there.

A: The volunteer visits one-on-one or in small groups with the residents, by going room to room or chatting in common areas. The intent is to build trusting relationships so that individuals will feel comfortable to raise their concerns. The volunteer becomes familiar with non-communicative residents, too. While the Ombudsman will not initiate contact with residents’ families or friends, he or she may work with them as they meet during facility visits.

A: The Ombudsman encourages residents to voice their concerns to the staff themselves, and offers support in that process. As needed, the Ombudsman will take a complaint in writing to his or her contact person on the facility’s administrative staff. Then the Ombudsman follows up with both parties to monitor the correction of the problem. The volunteer also brings his or her own observations of problems directly to the contact person. Volunteers submit complaint reports to the Ombudsman Program office and refer persistent problems to the office for further intervention.

A: A wide variety, such as poor food quality, unsanitary conditions, inadequate activities programming, care issues such as shortage of staff, hygiene and slow responses to call bells, roommate conflicts and violations of the Residents' Rights.

A: Listening, observing, negotiating, interviewing, motivating, and verbal and written communication skills.

A: Objectivity, diplomacy, persistence, patience, assertiveness and an interest in helping people in an advocacy capacity. We have also found that empathy, compassion, a tolerance for ambiguity and conflict, and a sense of humor go a long way.

A: Beyond the initial 3-day training and facility site visit with a current volunteer:

1. Weekly facility visits: A Volunteer Ombudsman is asked to make a commitment of four hours a week for at least one year. The hours do not have to be consecutive. The volunteer can set his/her own schedule and it can vary from week to week, with the stipulation that visits occur primarily during business hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Occasional evening and weekend visits are permitted. Allowances are made for vacations and sickness.
2. In-services: Volunteer Ombudsmen are required to attend a minimum of 18 hours of ongoing training that consists of a combination of six (6) educational in-services throughout the volunteer year, monitoring visits at the volunteers' assigned facilities, and webinars to qualify for annual Volunteer Ombudsman recertification. In-services are normally 2.5 hours long and are held on a weekday morning or afternoon.
3. Activity reporting: Time to complete a monthly report for the Ombudsman office is approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

A: Yes. Volunteers need to keep personal notes about their contacts with residents and staff. These notes help them to complete the monthly report and complaint cases. The volunteer will be responsible for documenting hourly visits and case data on a monthly basis. 

A: Yes. A full-time Volunteer Specialist and the other Ombudsman Program staff can be contacted through phone and email, and staff makes monitoring visits with volunteers individually. Volunteers provide peer support at the in-service meetings.

A: A list of available long-term care facilities is provided during training. New Ombudsmen are asked to list their top three choices of available facilities and effort is made to assign them to one of those choices. A volunteer will not be assigned to a facility at which he/she has a relative in residence, has had a relative in residence during the previous two years or has or has had (in the past five years) a business relationship.

A: The application process involves completing the following: an application; an in-person interview, three days of training, a facility visit with a current volunteer and final approval by the staff.

A: A few of the rewards are bringing joy and comfort to sometimes forgotten, vulnerable individuals; ongoing professional training in the dynamic field of long-term care; and helping to make a positive difference in peoples' lives. To quote our volunteers, "The elderly need advocates and we can’t let them down. Each time I visit, I seem to learn something about life and aging." "A family member whose thanks are sincere or a resident whose face lights up when you come in, is very rewarding."

A: The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has 7 paid Ombudsman positions responsible for serving the residents of over 154 facilities that are licensed to operate. Therefore, volunteers play a critical, central role in the program’s mission. In recent years the program has been fortunate to have approximately 40 active volunteers contributing to this effort.

A: The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program was created by federal law in 1978. The federal Older Americans Act requires every state to have an ombudsman. Virginia’s Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is located in Richmond, and the work of Ombudsmen in Virginia is authorized by state code. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a public service that began in 1985 and serves Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and the City of Alexandria. Funding comes from the state and federal levels, but primarily from the Area Agencies on Aging of these five jurisdictions.

If you have additional questions, the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program would welcome your call. Please call 703-324-5861, TTY 711. Learn more about the program. Thank you for your interest!

Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
12011 Government Center Parkway, Suite 708
Fairfax, Virginia 22035-1104
Phone: 703-324-5861, TTY 711 | Fax: 703-653-1796
Email