Here's an example of an organization that received a BreakThrough Award in 2007. Applications are open until June 1, 2009, for Encore Opportunity Awards that recognize nonprofit or public sector organizations engaging people over age 50 in encore careers. Click here for details.

Project: Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass, Inc.

Location: Lexington, Kentucky

Innovation: Employs people over 50 in paid, part-time ombudsmen jobs.

Marion Barna, 68, a retired executive assistant to the governor of Kentucky, has worked part time as an ombudsman, helping to meet the needs of nursing home residents in rural Kentucky for four years now. As she knows all too well, an estimated 60 percent of nursing home residents have no personal visitors in a year.

“One resident I worked with had no one except her lawyer and the bank. When she wanted little things like a new pair of slippers or a tube of lipstick, I could bring her those things," Barna says. "I guess you could say that I became her surrogate daughter. When she began declining, I asked the nursing home director to notify me. I didn’t want her to leave this world without having someone there to hold her hand.”

The Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass, Inc. (NHOA) employs Barna and 32 other ombudsmen — “ombuddies,” as they call them — to help nursing home residents and families of residents address concerns and advocate for improvements in care. Last year alone, the 33 ombuddies worked with more than 2,000 patients in 60 nursing homes spread across 17 counties in central Kentucky.

Established in 1981, NHOA is one of the first of approximately 500 long-term care ombudsman programs in the nation to make the job a paying one — $7 an hour — and one of the only ones to fill it almost exclusively with people over 50.

“In fact,” NHOA Executive Director Kathleen Gannoe says, “most other ombudsmen agencies just have a staff of one person who does everything from paperwork to visitations. Our setup makes us a model program for the rest of the nation.”

“Residents feel more comfortable with more mature workers, and our staff members bring to their jobs a wealth of life experience and good old common sense, which is essential to effective problem solving,” explains Gannoe. “Plus, our ombuddies are from the same communities as the residents, so they are known and trusted by friends, neighbors, and families.”

Gannoe says that paying the ombudsmen makes good business sense. “They put in the time — an average of 81 hours a month — and are willing to do the required paperwork, which volunteers are often reluctant to do.” Turnover is low, which boosts quality of care.

NHOA’s ombudsmen range in age from 50 to 80-something and come from careers as diverse as law enforcement, teaching, accounting and homemaking. They work varying part-time schedules, from eight to 35 hours per week.

The ombudsmen spend at least 30 minutes per month visiting with and advocating for each nursing home resident. The care they provide is free to residents and families; costs are covered by a variety of public and private sources.

The job, while rewarding, is a tough one. In addition to working with residents and staff, ombudsmen often have to work with estranged families and with attorneys handling guardianship cases.

“Our ombuddies are motivated by a deep commitment to protecting vulnerable elderly residents,” says Gannoe. “They give residents a voice and look out for their best interests, and they provide critical oversight of long-term care conditions in the community. That’s something people don’t think about until they need it.”

Contact
Kathleen Gannoe
Executive Director
Nursing Home Ombudsmen Agency of the Bluegrass, Inc.
1530 Nicholasville Rd.
Lexington, KY 40503
859-277-9215
www.ombuddy.org

This case study is from a collection of reports in the 2007 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures BreakThrough Award publication. To view the whole report, visit here.