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Nov 22 2024 | Every Long-Term Care Employee is a Resident Advocate

The ombuds program in Washington state is vital in holding up the rights of residents staying and living in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. The ombud’s role is part of the fabric that supports residents’ rights in our care settings.

The everyday resident advocates, however, are the employees and volunteers who interact with residents on a constant basis. This article defines the term “advocate” and highlights the day-to-day work that staff might not even realize they do as they fulfill the role of resident advocate.

 

DEFINITION OF ADVOCATE

The word “advocate” can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, an advocate is a person who is concerned with protecting the civil and human rights of vulnerable adults in long-term care facilities. As a verb, this person publicly supports a resident by speaking out on the resident’s behalf.

Staff are the most prominent resident advocates in your care setting. Regardless of role – be they a housekeeper, nurse, prep cook, or marketer – the long-term care staff person promotes resident rights with every action and interaction. The activities of a resident advocate include but are not limited to:

  • Problem solver. Residents face issues on a daily basis; they benefit from a staff person’s problem-solving abilities. Staff’s ingenuity and tenacity are often overlooked as they advocate for residents facing uphill battles with insurance coverage, transportation struggles, physical and mental health conditions, and other concerns.
  • Often residents face confrontation and conflict with their family members, healthcare team members, insurance companies, cell phone companies, and even other residents. Facility staff speak out on behalf of the resident, ensuring his/her voice is heard and acknowledged.
  • Facility staff, as a collective, possess massive amounts of knowledge and skills in all aspects of resident care and needs. By tapping into that expertise, residents can gain insight into services and opportunities to maintain or enhance their current circumstances.

Facility leaders can grow resident advocates by emphasizing this important role during new employee orientation as well as during other meetings and presentations throughout the year. Honoring those staff members who speak out in support of residents can cultivate a facility-wide culture of advocacy.

For more information on resident rights and how to support them, visit https://www.whca.org/residents-rights/.

Additional information on the Washington LTC Ombuds Program can be found at Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents | Federal Way, WA | Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (waombudsman.org)

If you have questions about resident rights or regulatory requirements, please contact Vicki McNealley for Assisted Living and Elena Madrid for Skilled Nursing Facilities.

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Check back to this area of the website for updates and information about regulatory practices issues, and check out the following resources for information relevant to our regulatory issues work.

For more information contact the WHCA Regulatory Issues Team.

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