Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Effectiveness and the Measurement of Program Resources

Abstract

Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs (LLTCOPs) protect the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities. This study examines the (a) existing resources available to LLTCOPs in Georgia, California, and New York, (b) relationship of resources to LLTCOP’s reported effectiveness in meeting its federal mandates, and (c) state-specific mediating factors influencing LLTCOPs’ resources and reported effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative data from the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS) and a telephone survey of LLTCOPs in Georgia, California, and New York were collected and analyzed. Resource adequacy, as measured by beds per full-time equivalent staff (beds/FTE), is inconsistently associated with effectiveness in meeting federal mandates across and within the states studied. Analysis of alternate resource measures suggests a threshold of LLTCOP size, under which program effectiveness may be lower. LLTCOPs report the changing LTC environment and additional state mandates as factors influencing resource adequacy.