Colorado State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Volunteer Program

Mission As mandated by the Older Americans Act, the mission of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is to seek resolution of problems and advocate for the rights of residents of long-term care facilities with the goal of enhancing the quality of life and care of residents.

The Colorado State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for residents of skilled nursing homes, and licensed assisted living residences. The authority of the long-term care ombudsman program comes from Title VII, Chapter 2, of the Older Americans Act, as well as Title 26, Article 11.5, of the Older Coloradans Act. The primary purpose of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is to promote and protect the residents’ rights guaranteed to residents under federal and state law. We achieve this mission with a network of local offices across the state, which recruit, train, and manage teams of certified ombudsmen. Staff and volunteer ombudsmen visit long-term care facilities throughout the state to ensure residents’ rights are being upheld. Certified Long-Term Care Ombudsmen are trained to receive complaints and resolve problems in situations involving quality of care, use of restraints, transfer and discharge, abuse, and other aspects of resident dignity and rights. Ombudsman services are free, confidential, and resident directed.