Long-Term Care Residents at Risk; You Can Help

Congress has voted to approve significant cuts to the Medicaid program, estimated to take healthcare from more than 16 million people and force the possible closure of nursing homes across the country.

Here in the Puget Sound region, many families rely on nursing homes and community-based long-term care homes. Currently, nearly one in four workers, most often women, are leaving jobs or cutting their hours at work to care for loved ones with debilitating health conditions. More family caregivers will likely need to step back from work to provide elder care because of possible nursing home closures.

Many who have loved ones in nursing homes are older adults themselves. It won’t be easy for them to relocate or care for their family members should their local care facility close. Additionally, most paid caregivers in long-term care homes are low-wage workers who depend on Medicaid or the ACA for healthcare themselves. Many are also immigrants under increasing threat of deportation under the policies being pursued by the Trump administration.

A public health crisis driven by increased social isolation, fallout from the pandemic, and threats from cuts to Medicaid means older adults and people with disabilities who live in long-term care facilities are more vulnerable than ever before.

Residents of long-term care facilities have special rights, encoded in law by the Older Americans Act. However, the act is up for reauthorization by Congress, and funding for programs and services that serve long-term care residents has declined on a per capita basis. According to reporting by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of people age 60 and older increased by 28% between 2014 and 2024. As a result, Older Americans Act funding per person age 60 or older decreased by 3%, though this reduction would be larger in inflation-adjusted dollars, with general prices rising by 33% over the same period.

Just 1% of the total funding authorized under the OAA goes to grants for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and for Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Prevention Programs. That’s just $28.73 per capita in services for people over 60!

Advocates for long-term care residents are calling on Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act and increase federal funding for State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs. These are the independent advocates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam who work to ensure resident rights are respected. The program supports a little over 3 million resident beds in the U.S. In fact, Washington’s program is staffed at about half the number of paid ombudsmen recommended by experts. Unfortunately, about half of all State LTC Ombudsman Programs are staffed inadequately.

The most common issues handled by state Ombudsman program representatives include:

• Involuntary discharges or evictions
• Physical abuse
• Poor staff response to requests for assistance
• Inadequate or poor medication management
• Lack of quality and quantity with meals/nutrition issues

In Washington, Ombudsman program staff and volunteers have a proven track record of resolving complaints and conflicts, protecting residents’ legal rights, improving the quality of their care, saving taxpayers money, and reducing hospital admissions. But current funding levels are insufficient to serve all long-term care residents.

There are two ways to help.  

The first is to ask Congress to increase funding for Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs to help protect vulnerable long-term care residents from neglect, abuse, improper eviction or retaliation, and ensure their rights to quality care and visitation. Make your voice heard.

The second is to consider becoming a trained Long-Term Care Ombudsman volunteer. The Washington Long-Term Care Ombudsman program relies on volunteers to advocate for the estimated 90,000 residents of long-term care homes across the state. Volunteer Ombudsmen play an essential role in helping resolve issues impacting long-term care residents and report numerous benefits including the social connections they make with other volunteers and folks in their community.

Learn more at https://www.waombudsman.org/support-us/volunteer/ or call 1-800-562-6028.

Contributor Pamela Williams is the King County Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman, based in Federal Way. Pamela can be reached at pamela.williams@mschelps.org.

Ensuring the Rights, Dignity, and Well-Being of Individuals Living in Long-Term Care …Today and Tomorrow

The Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is operated by Multi-Service Center. Multi-Service Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that offers people pathways out of poverty through support and resources in education, employment, housing, energy assistance, food, and clothing. For information about all Multi-Service Center programs and services, visit www.mschelps.org.