Harris County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

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Learn more: https://theconsumervoice.org/elder-abuse/

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Imagine being charged $150 a month for something you didn’t use, year after year. Imagine watching the total climb into the thousands of dollars, knowing it was wrong, but not knowing how to make your voice heard. For one Oregon resident in an assisted living facility, this was their reality.

In early 2025, this resident (let’s call her “Anna”) noticed she was being billed for pharmacy services she didn’t need. Anna had been self-administering her own medications for four years. Still, the charges kept appearing.
Alone, Anna might have been ignored. But she wasn’t alone. She had an advocate: a Certified Ombudsman volunteer.

With the resident’s permission, the volunteer dug into the records, pored over medication logs and assessments, and gathered the evidence. When they brought it to the facility’s administrator, the first response was resistance. But the Certified Ombudsman didn’t stop there. They pressed on, citing the resident handbook and service evaluations, until the facility’s Executive Director agreed not only to stop the charges, but to issue a $5,250 credit to Anna’s account. The facility even committed to auditing other residents’ accounts to ensure nobody else was wrongly billed.

This victory wasn’t just about the money. It was about justice, dignity, and respect. It only happened because a volunteer was there to stand up for Anna when she couldn’t do it alone.

This is what Certified Ombudsman volunteers do.

Every day in Oregon, residents in long-term care facilities and facilities licensed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or mental health conditions face challenges like these. Sometimes it’s financial. Sometimes it’s about care, safety, or simply being heard. What they all have in common is the need for someone independent, compassionate, and determined to advocate for them.

Certified Ombudsman volunteers are a voice for residents who may feel powerless, an investigator who isn’t afraid to ask hard questions and demand fair answers, and a protector of dignity for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

The training is thorough. The support is strong. And the impact you can have is immeasurable. Think about Anna. She received justice, accountability, and peace of mind. Multiply that by thousands of residents across Oregon, and you’ll see why volunteers are the backbone of this work.

Every October, we recognize Residents’ Rights Month: a time to honor the dignity, respect, and self-determination of people living in residential care settings. Stories like Anna’s shine a powerful light on why this month matters so much.

Residents’ Rights are more than words on paper. They are lived protections: fair treatment, financial transparency, the right to make choices about one’s own care. But those rights don’t enforce themselves. They require advocates.
Every person living in a care facility has rights, such as the right to be treated with dignity and respect, the right to make choices about their daily lives, and the right to voice concerns without fear of retaliation. These rights exist on paper. Volunteers make sure they are respected in practice.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a direct, life-changing difference in your community, this is your chance. You don’t need to be a lawyer, a doctor, or an expert in long-term care. You just need compassion, persistence, and the willingness to speak up for those in need. Because when you do, lives change.

To learn more about our services or to become a volunteer, visit www.oltco.org or call 800-522-2602.