News Article

New Podcast Episode on Celebrating Volunteers in the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

April 23, 2024

Every April, organizations across the country take the time to celebrate and thank their volunteers. Volunteers are the backbone of many Long-term Care Ombudsman Programs (LTCOP). With the help of volunteers, the Ombudsman program can have a regular presence in facilities and stay in touch with residents. Volunteers lend their time, talent, and voice to make a difference in their communities and the LTCOP could not be its best without the volunteers who help carry out the mission of advocating for long-term care residents.

In this episode, the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) talks to a certified volunteer from New Jersey about her experience and dedicated advocacy. The Administration for Community Living (ACL) also joins to honor the over 4,000 people who serve as Long-Term Care Ombudsman volunteers. These specially trained volunteers visit nursing homes and residential care communities to advocate with and for the residents living there. By visiting on a regular basis, volunteers get to know residents and gain their trust to better assist them in resolving issues or complaints to help ensure they receive quality long-term care.

Resource: Video for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Volunteer Recruitment

Special Guests:

• Beverley Laubert, National Ombudsman Program Coordinator, Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, Administration for Community Living
• Pat Murphy, Certified Volunteer Advocate, New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Volunteer Appreciation Week: April 21-27

National Volunteer Appreciation Week is an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to build stronger communities. The theme for National Volunteer Week is Celebrate Service – an opportunity to shine a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve. 

Thank your volunteers and recognize their work publicly by sending NORC brief messages of appreciation for their dedicated advocacy (e.g., examples of their advocacy, years of service, photos). We will post your message on our website and highlight the submissions on social media. Email your submissions to ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org. See how Ombudsman programs are celebrating on the NORC website.

New Video Ombudsman Programs Can Use for Volunteer Promotion and Recruitment

The National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) modified a volunteer recruitment video, created by the Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, to make it available for all states to use. This new video can be used for volunteer recruitment and promotion. The video can also be shared in your state to showcase the impact and importance of volunteers within the Ombudsman program, and encourage others to get involved.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Subscribe to the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

You can also listen on YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, or our website.