Healthy Montgomery :: Promising Practices :: North Dakota State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

The Community Health Improvement Process for Montgomery County, Maryland

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An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.

2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

North Dakota State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

Ranking	Effective Practice
Description	Often low-income nursing home and assisted living facility residents are unable to advocate for themselves in the areas of social, legal, physical, and mental health. Many of these elders do not have any family in close proximity, so they may need someone else to represent them, securing their right to an acceptable quality of life while living in a nursing home or assisted living facility. The North Dakota State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, under the auspices of the State Office of Aging Services, uses AmeriCorpsVISTA members to recruit volunteers from the community who can assist vulnerable seniors. Additionally, AmeriCorpsVISTA members, trained by the State Office of Aging Services, are charged with instructing ombudsmen in how to recognize potential problems and how best to represent clients, ensuring that the least restricting alternatives provided prevent further abuse or neglect.
Goal / Mission	The purpose of the ombudsmen is to recognize potential problems and represent elderly and institutionalized clients throughout the state.
Results / Accomplishments	Currently, three AmeriCorpsVISTA members are actively serving 34 counties in rural North Dakota. One AmeriCorpsVISTA worker serves 18 counties, another serves 10 counties, and the third serves 6 counties. Residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are utilizing their local Ombudsman to register complaints related to care and living conditions. These are being addressed as they are brought to the institution's attention. In 2000, 743 cases were opened through the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.
Categories	Health / Older Adults & Aging Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders Social Environment / Family Structure
Organization(s)	North Dakota Department of Human Services and AmeriCorps*VISTA
Source	Corporation for National & Community Service
Date of Publication	5/2/2002
Geographic Type	Rural
Location	State: North Dakota
Primary Contact	(800) 451-8693 dhssrinf@nd.gov http://www.nd.gov/dhs/
For more details	http://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/adultsaging/ombu...
Target Audience	Elderly
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