Published: August 14, 2009 06:23 am      

Ombudsman program looking for volunteers

Lend an ear.

That’s all it takes to be an ombudsman volunteer for the Oklahoma Economic Development Authority’s (OEDA) Area Agency on Aging, according to Ombudsman Supervisor Mistina Mulanax.

The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) uses its ombudsman volunteers as mediators between the residents at area nursing homes and assisted living centers and the facilities’ staff, Mulanax said.

“Sometimes we also mediate between residents and their families,” she said.

“Basically as ombudsmen, we’re there for the residents,” Mulanax said.

The main duty of an ombudsman is to ensure that residents’ rights are being respected, she said, noting that the volunteers “listen to resident concerns about quality of care or quality of life.”

But being an ombudsman is not just about listening to complaints, Mulanax said. Mostly it is about just listening, she said.

“We may go in and not get a complaint. Sometimes they just want to talk,” she said, noting that unfortunately some of the nursing home residents feel as if they have been forgotten.

That is why Mulanax said the biggest requirement to be an ombudsman is that “they must be somebody that’s got the ability to listen.”

Other than lending an ear, though, the basic requirements volunteers must meet is that they be 18-years-old or older and have their own vehicles, she said.

“The problem is that in the Panhandle area which is these eight counties in Northwest Oklahoma, we only have two volunteers,” Mulanax said.

“My goal would be to have two volunteers in every nursing home facility in each of the eight counties,” she said, noting there are “about 14” facilities in the district.

To help meet this goal and train additional volunteers in the Shattuck, Vici, Woodward, Mooreland and Seiling areas, a two-day Ombudsman Volunteer Workshop is being held at the Woodward Senior Center Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

“The workshop will cover everything from residents’ rights to abuse, how to recognize and report it, to Medicare and Medicaid,” Mulanax said.

“Even if they don’t want to volunteer, people still need to come to this program,” Mulanax said, noting that the workshop is “full of helpful information.”

For example, a portion of the workshop will be devoted to how to choose a nursing home, she said.

However, for anyone who may be interested in becoming an ombudsman, Mulanax said, “it’s a fantastic program.”

“Just to see the look on their faces when you go in and find out that some of them haven’t had visitors in months or even years,” she said.

To learn more about becoming an ombudsman with the Area Agency on Aging or to reserve your spot for the free workshop, contact Mulanax at 1-800-658-2844.

“To me it’s a chance of a lifetime,” Mulanax said. “It’s a fantastic feeling to go in and give somebody a reason to get up in the morning.”