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Hello, my name is Linda Petrie and I have been your Eastern Washington Regional Ombudsman since 1990. The Eastern Washington Long Term Care Ombudsman program is located at SNAP's East office, inside the East Central Community Center.
The Ombudsman program, which is mandated by the federal government through the Older American's Act of 1966, is intended to protect the rights of people in long term care facilities; nursing homes, adult family homes and boarding homes (also called assisted living facilities).
Currently, the program has 30 active Ombudsman volunteers who are state-certified, trained in resident rights and primarily act as resident representatives when concerns arise. Ombudsman volunteers also educate residents, family and facility staff on residents rights. Most importantly, they empower residents to act on their own behalf.
The Ombudsman Program covers long-term care facilities in a five county area:
- Spokane
- Ferry
- Whitman
- Stevens
- Pend Oreille
The Ombudsman volunteers deal with a wide variety of complaints including:
- quality of care
- rights to privacy
- food concerns
- financial management
- access to medical information
- right to be treated with dignity and respect
Anyone -- a resident, facility staff member and or a family member -- can call in a complaint, it can be anonymous if the caller so wishes. There is no cost for our assistance, the only requirement being that the individual live in a long term care facility. If we are not able to assist with a concern, for whatever reason, we will make referrals to the appropriate social service agency or community service.
If you have any questions about elder care, long term care facilities or related subjects, we would be more than happy to provide assistance.
Please call us at 509-456-7133 or if you are outside Spokane at 1-800-660-7133.
Email: petrie@snapwa.org
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