When a loved one enters a nursing home, it can be traumatic for all involved. Regardless of how much research is done, there may still be nagging fears: “Am I doing the right thing? How can I be absolutely sure what kind of care is being given?” It is impossible to be at the facility, monitoring everything, 24 hours a day.

Take heart. There is a program in place to be your watchdog – one that is similar to having a second set of eyes looking over your loved one’s care.

The Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a nonprofit statewide agency that has well-trained volunteers who go into nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family care homes, and adult foster homes to monitor care and – if necessary – advocate for the residents.

The program also is available to those who are living independently but may be having a problem with their home care worker. The program gives a voice to individuals who previously did not have one.

An ombudsman, as described in the program’s brochure, is “a specially trained advocate who is given authority under federal and Maine law to investigate and resolve complaints made by, or on behalf of, long-term care consumers.”

Most importantly, all communication between the ombudsman and resident is strictly confidential. If a complaint is made, the individual’s name will not be used without his or her consent. Only the problem will be addressed.

“The program actually began in 1978 when family members of nursing home residents testified before Congress about the poor care their loved ones were getting,” said Brenda Gallant, executive director of the ombudsman program.

“At that time there were no mechanisms in place by which residents could make complaints about the care they received and have those complaints investigated and resolved,” she said. “This led to the establishment of ombudsman programs in every state.”

Volunteer ombudsmen are subjected to a very thorough screening, because they are dealing with a “very vulnerable population,” she added. Once accepted into the program, they generally stay for a long time.

Brewer resident Alden Meek, 71, has been an ombudsman for three years.

“I’m an ombudsman because I have always wanted to be helpful, and I’ve always liked seniors,” he said. “My mother-in-law was in a facility that was a great place, but they needed an ombudsman as a go-between with staff and residents. So I did it, and I love it.”

This scenario is fairly typical, said Greg Cross, volunteer program director for the ombudsman program.

“A lot of the volunteers have had family in the same position as the residents they are working with,” he said. “There is a connection. And we all want to make sure these individuals’ rights are upheld. It is very rewarding.”

Along with a handful of staff providing ombudsman services, there are some 80 volunteers statewide committed to this work. They have logged thousands of hours in the course of a year, said Cross.

Once trained, volunteers are assigned to a facility in their area where they make weekly visits, averaging two hours each. The visits occur at varying times, and are not scheduled with the staff in advance.

By law, an ombudsman can enter a facility anytime, day or night, 365 days a year. This is a key component to the program. Every facility is required to have an ombudsman poster with the toll-free number in plain sight.

While on site, volunteers complete a contact sheet covering a variety of issues including cleanliness, of both the resident and facility; temperature of the facility; staff interaction with residents; assistance with meals; and location of call bells. Issues as small as cold coffee or as serious as neglect are reported, either to staff in the first case, or to authorities if the resident is in danger.

Again, confidentiality is firmly upheld and the source of a complaint is never revealed without express consent of the individual, unless there is evident abuse or neglect.

“We also assist residents with Medicare problems, discharge issues and anything else they might need,” said Gallant. “We investigate, advocate, educate and lobby. We do it all.”

For more information on the Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, call (800) 499-0229.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging in Bangor. For information on EAA services or programs, call the Resource and Referral Department at 941-2865, or log on www.eaaa.org.