The long-term care ombudsman in South Carolina investigates more than 8,000 complaints of nursing home neglect and abuse every year.
An ombudsman have very broad duties, but they are all intended to improve the lives of nursing home residents and ensure they are receiving the proper standard of care they rightfully deserve. They are meant to act as advocates for nursing home residents and help with certain tasks, such as responding to reports of neglect, abuse, or exploitation. Below, our South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyer explains further.
The Role of Ombudsman in South Carolina
An ombudsman in South Carolina has many important responsibilities. These include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Resident advocacy: Ensure residents in nursing homes are treated with dignity, receive the proper care, and that their rights are upheld at all times.
- Resident education: Inform residents about their rights, options for treatment, and the complaint process so residents can make informed decisions.
- Identification of systemic issues: Look for and identify patterns in complaints and recommend changes in policy to improve health care services.
- Investigating complaints: Review any concerns patients have regarding the conditions of the facility, medical treatment, communication issues, and billing concerns.
- Dispute mediation: Facilitate discussions between nursing home administrators, health care providers, and residents to find a fair solution.
In addition to the above, the ombudsman also plays a number of other roles in nursing home settings, as well.
Assists with Reporting Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home ombudsmen provide an important resource for nursing home residents and their family members to file complaints of abuse and neglect. This is of particular importance for patients with dementia or other disabilities who may not be able to advocate on their own behalf.
Ombudsman can assist with many different types of complaints. Some of the most common of these are as follows:
- Insufficient health care for illnesses or disabilities
- Falls and fractures
- Neglect, such as bed sores that are not properly treated
- Medication errors
- Inadequate personal hygiene
- Physical abuse
- Sexual assaults
- Poor quality of food
- Unanswered calls for help
- Emotional and verbal abuse by staff members
- Wrongful eviction from a long-term care facility
The above complaints, and others, can be reported to the South Carolina Department of Aging through the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. Any complaints filed with the ombudsman remain confidential unless the resident or family member wishes to provide their name.
This promotes the reporting of complaints without fear of retaliation.
Enhancing Care
In addition to handling complaints of individual nursing home residents, the ombudsman also helps improve the daily quality of care patients receive. They do this by visiting facilities and making recommendations to improve the lives of residents. While visiting a nursing home, they will meet with residents, talk to them, and get to know them, in an effort to build rapport and trust with them.
They will also listen to any concerns residents have regarding their care.
Nursing home staff members and administrators know that they are being monitored by the ombudsman and so, they are more likely to provide the necessary quality of care. When visiting nursing homes, the ombudsman will also look for potential signs of nursing home abuse and neglect. They will also assist families with creating care plans and ensure residents are informed of their rights.
Holding Nursing Homes Responsible for Neglect
After an ombudsman receives a complaint about a nursing home, they will take the necessary steps to resolve it. They may report the suspected abuse or neglect to the nursing home administrator or help residents and their family members through the proper legal channels. When an ombudsman reports cases of nursing home abuse, it holds facilities responsible for providing the standard of care outlined by state and federal laws. Ultimately, this improves the quality of residents and can prevent nursing home abuse.
For example, an ombudsman in a nursing home may explain that abuse is occurring in the facility.
The administrator then may terminate the employment of abusive staff members and create new policies to ensure the safety of residents.
Working with Government Agencies
In addition to the South Carolina Department of Aging, the South Carolina ombudsman also works with other government agencies. These include the Administration on Aging, as well as the Administration for Community Living. These are federal agencies that work with local and state governments to ensure older adults are kept safe. They play an important role in nursing home abuse cases by handling complaints of mistreatment, working to improve care standards, and advocating for the rights of residents.
The ombudsman in nursing homes also enters documentation from every visit into the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS). This database stores many different types of information, including:
- The number of nursing homes visited
- The number of hours spent in each nursing home
- The types of complaints that have been addressed or resolved
The reports submitted to the NORS also note what types of complaints are among the most common, which are the most serious, and where nursing home care can be improved in certain facilities. Ombudsman in nursing homes collect this information to help government agencies identify and handle systemic issues that impact elderly individuals throughout the country.
Nursing home patients, or their family members, may have to work with an ombudsman in nursing homes if they cannot solve problems directly with administrators and staff members. In these cases, the ombudsman will help with a case by advocating for patients, addressing complaints, and resolving issues.
Our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in South Carolina Can Help Your Family
Ombudsman in nursing homes play a very important and helpful role. Still, if you suspect your loved one is not being treated properly, you need legal advice. At Rikard & Protopapas, our South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers can provide it, determine if your loved one is being mistreated, and help you make things right if their rights are being violated. Call us today or contact us online to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help.