The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has released its annual National Long Term Care Ombudsman Report, which provides detailed statistics on the actions of the nation's long-term care ombudsmen. Ombudsmen act as advocates for residents of nursing homes and other facilities for long-term care.  They monitor the quality of care and investigate and resolve resident complaints.

The report indicates that in Fiscal Year 1998, there were 587 local and regional ombudsman programs in all states, with 927 paid staff and 7,359 trained and certified volunteers. Ombudsmen investigated 201,053 complaints made by more than 121,686 individuals, including residents, family members, and facility staff. About 70% of these complaints were at least partially resolved.

Insufficient staff to care for residents was the most frequently cited concern. Ombudsmen linked low staffing to low wages and benefits and labor shortage and described how lack of staffing relates directly to poor care for residents.

You can view the report on the AoA site at: