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DuPage County details Long Term Care Ombudsman program, contact options for residents
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Summary
DuPage County Community Services described its Long Term Care Ombudsman program, which serves 92 long-term care facilities and helps residents understand their rights, file complaints, and access confidential advocacy; contact details and resources were provided.
DuPage County Community Services staff described the county’s Long Term Care Ombudsman program, saying certified ombudsmen visit 92 care facilities to help residents secure appropriate care and exercise their rights.
"They make sure that older adults and people with disabilities receive good care and live with dignity," said Speaker 1, a DuPage County Community Services staff member, summarizing the program’s mission. Speaker 2, also a DuPage County staff member, said the office serves "an extremely vulnerable population" and emphasized that conversations with ombudsmen are "extremely confidential."
The county said certified ombudsmen visit residents on a regular basis to inform them of their rights, help resolve problems with facilities or family members, and organize family groups. "An Illinois Ombudsman can visit a long term care facility anytime," Speaker 1 said, and the recording added that a facility cannot bar a resident from meeting with an ombudsman unless the resident refuses.
Officials listed the rights ombudsmen help explain and protect: safety and appropriate care; the ability to appeal involuntary discharges; voting in elections; participation in resident councils and recreational activities; presenting grievances and receiving prompt responses; and freedom from retaliation for asserting rights or reporting issues.
Eligibility for services requires that a person live in a long-term care facility in DuPage County. The county said there are no financial requirements to speak with an ombudsman. Staff also said each facility is required to post Ombudsman contact posters so residents can find how to reach the program.
To contact DuPage County Community Services, the recording gave (630) 407-6500 and said offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; an email contact for the program was provided. A toll-free number mentioned in the recording was unclear in the transcript and is not repeated here. For additional resources, the county pointed listeners to dupagecounty.gov/programs and to 211dupage.gov or dialing 211; texting services are available (text your ZIP code to 898211).
The county encouraged residents, family members and facility staff to reach out for information or to file complaints and closed by reiterating that DuPage County Community Services provides this advocacy support.
