DANVILLE — A long-term facility isn’t just a place for people to recuperate or to get skilled care.

“It’s their home now,” said Lesley Grobe, long-term ombudsman with the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging, based in Bloomington.

The residents have rights, and the staff needs to understand they’re working in someone’s home, she said.

To make sure residents’ rights are upheld, the agency sponsors the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which covers 16 counties.

This area serves residents age 60 and over in 139 licensed health facilities, 11 assisted living facilities, and seven supportive living facilities. In Vermilion County, 10 long-term facilities are included.

The ombudsmen visit residents regularly, inform them of their rights, and empower them to advocate on their own behalf.

“We advocate for the residents, and address the concerns they might have,” Grobe said.

The issues might range from something as simple as a diabetic resident wanting a candy bar to cases of abuse or neglect. The more serious cases are referred to the Department of Public Health, which could fine the facility.

If a diabetic resident wants a candy bar once in a while, he’s an adult and has a right to make that choice, Grobe said. However, an ombudsman will speak to the resident about the consequences, and will speak with the family (but only with the resident’s permission).

The paid staff with the ombudsman program visits the facilities once every quarter, or four times a year. The paid staff includes one full-time person (Grobe) and two part-time people.

That’s where volunteer ombudsmen come in. They have as much authority as the paid staff.

Signs are posted at each facility, seeking volunteers to help resolve problems — such as room temperatures or amount of food served. The signs also urge residents and family members to call the ombudsman’s office if problems can’t be resolved easily.

Anyone interested in being a volunteer ombudsman needs to complete an application and interview process, go through basic training and mentoring, attend periodic meetings and trainings, and commit to a minimum of four hours a month visiting your assigned facility.

Vermilion County has just one community ombudsman right now.

JoAnne Andrews of Alvin saw one of those signs about the program in spring. She underwent eight hours of training over two days in Bloomington, and was assigned to a facility.

She tries to go once a week for an hour, and serves as the residents’ eyes and ears.

Andrews said she was trained to call the ombudsman office if she smells something or sees something that doesn’t seem right, such as too little food on a person’s plate or residents not up and dressed.

She’s had two cases since she started in August, but they were resolved before she could handle them. She sends in a report at the end of the month.

Andrews said her mother always took her and her sister on missions to care for the elderly and sick, so she grew up realizing the importance of visiting nursing homes.

“People don’t send their parents to a nursing home to die; they send them there to live,” she said.

Andrews is passionate about this cause, and believes local churches should get involved in caring for the elderly.

“We need more people to adopt caring for the elderly as a way of life,” she said, adding it should be a spontaneous act.

FYI

For more information about the ombudsman program, go to the Web site of the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging, http://www.eciaaa.org. Click on the “seniors” tab, then “about us,” “get involved,” “volunteer opportunities,” and end with “community ombudsman.” You also may type community ombudsman into the search box.

Or call Amanda McKeon, volunteer coordinator, at (309) 829-2065, extension 222.