Thank you Charlotte Poss

Charlotte Poss has been a wonderful ombudsman volunteer, serving on the Withlacoochee Ombudsman Council.  Since 2005, Charlotte has been a certified and active ombudsman volunteer.  Seeing her mother-in-law mistreated in a facility was the spark that compelled her to become an ombudsman. With her professional experience as a paralegal tribal court advocate, it is no surprise at her natural ability to advocate for long-term care facility residents. Given her previous employment, she recognizes the importance of being a voice for those living in long-term care facilities that may not be able to speak up for themselves.

Helen Anderson, Withlacoochee District Manager said, "It is evident that Charlotte loves residents and advocating for their rights. Charlotte has been a pillar of strong advocacy within the Withlacoochee council. Her willingness to volunteer and serve her time for the last five years has contributed to much of the success as a whole of the advocacy efforts here in the Withlacoochee district.” 

“Her commitment to volunteering is a picture of the heart of advocacy; sacrificing her time and agenda to act on behalf of others,” said Anderson.  “Thank you Charlotte!"

Thank you for the spirit of advocacy you showed as an ombudsman and the donated time given to volunteer and protect the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents living in long-term care facilities.  We wish you luck in your future endeavors and a safe move.  You will be missed!

(L-R) Helen Anderson, Charlotte Poss

(L-R) Marie Brand, Charlotte Poss, and Ginny Winkel

Charlotte Poss

Helen Anderson awarding and thanking Charlotte Poss for her time as a volunteer ombudsman

Pasco and North Pinellas District-Wide Resident Council Meeting

Trinity Regional Rehabilitation hosted a successful district-wide resident council meeting on April 17 in coordination with the Ombudsman Program.  Approximately 20 residents representing 9 facilities benefited from a guest presentation about individualized care plans, approved bylaws, voted on a new council secretary, approved sharing minutes with legislators, chose host facilities for the year, and enjoyed raffle gifts.

Residents discussed their needs for more affordable transportation to events, more responsive staff, and more lifts that certain residents may need to use. 

Residents discussed suggestions for successful facility activities.  These included:

q  Learn sign language or foreign language to communicate with residents who do not speak English or who have lost the ability to speak.

q  Culture days - Residents and staff share personal photos, foods, experiences, and stories from other countries.  Residents can be guest speakers on their experiences living/traveling in other countries to residents, staff, local visiting children, etc.

q  Participating with Volunteer GrandKids program or other school groups with the opportunity for the residents to give to the community and to teach children how to interact with adults and share experiences.

q  Community charity drives

o    Save soda cans for Cancer Society of All Children’s Hospital.

o    “Lazy Dog Days” with dogs coming to visit from local groups with food and raffle profits benefiting the Humane Society. 

Residents from the facilities look forward to the next district-wide resident council meeting.

Gayle Mountain awarded the Don Hering "Excellence in Advocacy Award"

Vivid orange sneakers may not be the norm in a nursing home but residents look forward to seeing these shoes; it means Gayle Mountain is there to advocate on their behalf. Gayle has been a certified ombudsman with the Pasco and North Pinellas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Council for almost four years and her efforts are being recognized.  This year, she has been selected by her local and state peers to receive the Don Hering “Excellence in Advocacy Award.”  Her dedication is apparent in her smiling face, signature orange shoes, and numerous hours advocating for elders and others who live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult family-care homes that may not otherwise have a voice. Gayle has traveled over 5,301 miles, devoted 815 hours, and investigated 85 complaint cases in the past year, and she’s not slowing down!   Gayle and her fellow volunteers investigate concerns including abuse, lack of dignity and respect, lack of assistance, food issues, and violations of basic rights.

During National Volunteer Week, Gayle Mountain was honored with the Don Hering “Excellence in Advocacy Award”.  There were several special guests in attendance including Liz Hittos, the District Director to Congressman Gus Bilirakis (9th District), Jared Ochs, the Legislative Assistant to State Representative Richard Corcoran (District 45), and State Senator Mike Fasano (District 11).  Liz Hittos and State Senator Fasano both spoke to the group praising Gayle's accomplishment and thanking all the volunteers for their wonderful work.

After the announcement, volunteer appreciation continued.  Each volunteer was presented with gifts from District Manager Lynn Penley, special recognition from Communities for a Lifetime, and special letters from State Representative Richard Corcoran.  State Senator Mike Fasano shook each volunteer's hand and thanked them all for their special work.

Thank you Gayle Mountain and all the Pasco and North Pinellas volunteer ombudsmen, for your work to advocate for the health, safety, welfare, and rights of long-term care facility residents!

(L-R) Carol Weideman, Gayle Mountain, Don Hering

(L-R) State Senator Mike Fasano, Gayle Mountain

(L-R) Liz Hittos, the District Director to Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Gayle Mountain

(L-R) Jared Ochs, the Legislative Assistant to State Representative Richard Corcoran, Liz Hittos, the District Director to Congressman Gus Bilirakis, State Senator Mike Fasano

(L-R) District Manager Lynn Penley, Gayle Mountain

Pasco and North Pinellas Council and special guests

Introducing the “Ask Mary" column

What do I look for when choosing a long-term care facility? My mother says she doesn’t like the food at the assisted living facility she’s in. Does she have a choice? Where can I go to get help?

Mary Bruels, three year veteran ombudsman volunteer of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program often hears questions like these while conducting facility visits or complaint investigations at assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or adult family-care homes.

"The way society treats its children and elderly is very telling. There’s not a lot I can do to change how we treat the elderly on a global basis but on a one by one basis, I like to think I can make it better. If I make it better for that one person, then I hope someone will do that for me one day," said Bruels.

Bruels is one of the 300 plus volunteers that make up the unique and mostly volunteer run Ombudsman Program. Ombudsmen volunteers are trained and certified to take complaints from or on behalf of residents living in long-term care facilities. Volunteers also educate family, caregivers, residents, facility staff, and consumers about important rights given to residents upon entering a facility. Volunteers from the program’s 17 districts across Florida assist residents with questions about long-term care, resident rights, and what to look for when visiting and choosing a facility.

Choosing a long-term care facility like a nursing home, assisted living facility, or adult family-care home can be a daunting task. Knowing where to get help to navigate the roadways of long-term care can be more than a little confusing and as Baby Boomers and their parents age, the discussion of long-term care is likely to arise.

After retiring as a director of provider relations, responsible for the development and implementation of a statewide (Florida) network of specialty physicians for a workers’ compensation network, Bruels was looking for a way to serve the community. Little did she know she was about to jump into the world of long-term care and become an expert on the subject. It all started when Bruels received a phone call from her sister.

"My sister saw a booth about the Ombudsman Program at a convention and recommended I check it out for volunteer opportunities. Later, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper and decided to call and get more information," said Bruels, "And the rest is history."

Bruels quickly rose into leadership positions within the program, serving as state representative for the Pinellas and Pasco District. As the state representative Bruels assisted in rolling up issues and concerns from the local level to the state level. Currently, Bruels serves as the district chair for the Mid and South Pinellas District. As the district chair, Bruels focuses on leading the council in cooperation with the district manager.

"Mary Bruels is an outstanding ombudsman with a thorough understanding of residents’ rights," said former Mid and South Pinellas District Manager, Natalie Clanzy. "She has the knowledge and experience needed to be a strong advocate for residents. She conducts thorough investigations and follows through to ensure issues are resolved. Her leadership skills have been a great asset to residents, facilities, fellow ombudsmen, and the community."

Bruels understands the importance of partnering with ombudsmen staff as well as other state agencies and stakeholders to reach a common goal of ensuring that long-term care residents’ rights are protected.

"When a resident looks me in the eye and says thank you for your help, you listened to me and I really appreciate it, that’s the greatest reward I get from volunteering," said Bruels. "Working to solve one problem for one resident may have a positive effect on a whole lot of residents. I like working on a global level to solve a local problem."

Considering the work Bruels does, it was no surprise that she agreed to be the lady behind the “Ask an Ombudsman” column. 

“Many people are unfamiliar with the Ombudsman Program and the services it provides to long-term care facility residents.  With long-term care becoming more of a hot topic across the state, I’m excited to see how this column will answer people’s questions and serve the community," said Bruels.

If you would like to submit a question to Mary Bruels about long-term care, please send them via email to ltcopinformer@elderaffairs.org titled "Ask Mary."  Look for a response in one of the next issues of the Island Reporter or on this blog.

Mary Bruels, volunteer ombudsman

Long-term care residents meet and share ideas at the Mid and South Pinellas District Wide Resident Council Meeting

On February 24, the Mid and South Pinellas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Council hosted a District Wide Resident Council Meeting at East Bay Rehab and Nursing.  The meeting was well attended with 13 facilities represented by 42 residents, staff and ombudsmen.  We covered topics including a review of residents’ rights, legislative updates, how resident council’s welcome new residents and care plans.  At the next meeting, residents’ voiced their desire to hear more about the upcoming elections and invite local legislators to attend and present to the council.  After the meeting, residents enjoyed socializing with residents from other facilities, raffle prizes, food and cake.  Pictures of the event are posted, below.  Enjoy!

District-Wide Resident Council Meeting

Pasco and North Pinellas District ombudsmen volunteers and staff welcomed 25 residents from 12 different long-term care facilities on October 25th, during this year's Residents' Rights Month.  The theme of the meeting was “Welcome Home: Creating Connections Between Residents and the Community.”  The group shared their favorite community events growing up, current participation in their community and new ideas for increasing community interaction.  

Top suggestions from long-term care facility residents were:

·         Attending/participating in parades.

·         Dog shows where the residents are the judges.

·         Ask local legislators to speak and listen to residents.

·         Collect food/clothes for needy families.

·         Share life experiences with others such as scout troops/local school children.

·         Spelling bee with local school children.

·         Open house to invite family, friends and the community.

·         Connect with local schools to invite them to facility activities and events and have the school invite residents to their events such as plays, concerts and sports games. 

·         Adopt needy families and/or fund raise to sponsor a thanksgiving meal or have a holiday gift drive. 

·    Adopt a soldier for the year/holidays and collect holiday/thank you cards for them.

The resident council also elected officers to lead their activities: Vice President: Richard Whitney, Secretary: Diana Payne, and President: Ricky Melendez.

Here are some pictures of residents, ombudsmen volunteers and caregivers from the meeting: