When a senior is staying in a long-term care facility, the family may need the services of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The primary responsibility of the program is to investigate and endeavor to resolve complaints made by, or on behalf of, individual residents in long-term care facilities.
Residents or their families can file a complaint directly with the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman or by calling the CRISISline. All long-term care facilities are required to post, in a conspicuous location, the phone number for the local Ombudsman office and the states CRISISline number. The CRISISline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take calls and refer complaints from residents. Ombudsman services are free and confidential. You can contact your local LTC Ombudsman Program for the following resident services: questions or concerns about quality of care, questions or concerns about financial abuse, suspected physical, mental or emotional abuse of residents, witnessing services for Advance Health Care Directives (a resident in a long term care facility cannot execute a valid advanced health care directive (also know as a Health Care Power of Attorney) unless an Ombudsman is present to also witness the resident signing this document. This is done to make sure the resident is not being forced to fill in sections of this document against their will and also to assure the resident has the “capacity” to sign the directive. Request an Ombudsman to attend a resident care plan meeting or to attend a resident or family council meeting.
The State CRISISline number is 1-800-231-4024. For the Los Angeles area, contact WISE & Healthy Aging Long-Term Care Ombudusman Program at 310-393-3618 or 1-800-699-6191. Reseda is the closest regional office and can be contacted at 818-757-1580. However, there are offices located in Pasadena, Lakewood, San Dimas, Santa Monica and Burbank. This program has lost approximately 50 percent of its funding because of budget cuts. Therefore, patience in contacting and scheduling an Ombudsman is needed.
Ms. MacDonald’s practice is limited to estate planning, probate, conservatorships, elder law and trust administration. Ms. MacDonald maintains her practice in the Santa Clarita Valley at 27013 Langside Avenue, Suite A, Santa Clarita, California. She can be reached at 661-251-1300.