If you are at ease in nursing homes, and are a good listener, this program is for you!
If you are at ease in nursing homes, and are a good listener, this program is for you!
Residents of long-term care facilities need an advocate who is looking out for their rights and interests. The Ombudsman Program is in place to offer residents of long-term care facilities a way to have their complaints and concerns heard, helping them to feel empowered and advocating for them to live with dignity and respect. Trained and supervised volunteers visit a facility at least weekly and are available to hear concerns in confidence, seek to protect residents’ rights, and provide information and referrals.
The Springwell Volunteer Ombudsman Program is an advocacy program for residents in Nursing Homes and Rest Homes. It’s a federal program which is administered in each state. In Massachusetts there is a state Ombudsman who oversees the program, and then it’s run locally across the state at various agencies. At Springwell we cover all Nursing Homes and Rest Homes in the towns of: Ashland, Belmont, Brookline, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Natick, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough, and Weston. Each volunteer is assigned a home that they visit weekly. As an Ombudsman, you meet with residents and hear any complaints or concerns they have, and with their permission, bring these complaints forward to staff. All work is documented and submitted in a timely way to the Program Manager. In addition to the weekly visits, there is a required monthly meeting that volunteers attend for ongoing training, education and support.
Springwell has more than 30 years of experience working with volunteers. One thing we know for sure is that kindness matters. Because of Springwell Volunteers: People are less lonely. People are less anxious. People can get to important medical appointments. People feel heard. People are able to enjoy a healthy meal in a friendly environment. People know someone cares.
Each volunteer is screened to determine their interests, trained and carefully matched with a senior in the community. Program managers are always available to answer volunteers’ questions and handle any concerns that may arise.