Help Advocate for the rights of seniors!

Become a Long-Term Care Ombudsman

If you care about the rights and dignity of seniors and vulnerable adults, this could be a meaningful way to get involved. Our certified volunteer ombudsmen are trained advocates who visit assisted living, nursing homes and adult family homes to help ensure that residents are treated with respect and fairness. Many of these residents have no one else actively watching out for their well-being. We serve residents through complaint investigation, resolution, and advocacy. Ombudsmen educate residents, staff, families and the community about long-term care issues, resources, resident rights and advocate for quality of life in long-term care settings.

Our volunteers are trained to:

Recognize and respond to unfair or neglectful practices

Understand the civil and legal rights of long-term care residents

Partner with residents and staff to resolve issues

Uphold a standard of care that reflects both dignity and quality of care

To become a certified LTC Ombudsman, volunteers receive extensive training, education, and guidance. A commitment of at least 4 hours per week of volunteer ombuds service per year is expected to maintain certification. Volunteers must be 18 or older, live in Pierce County, and pass a WA State history and criminal background check.

What makes a strong ombudsman isn’t a professional title - it’s someone with compassion, a steady sense of justice, and the willingness to listen, learn, and speak up when something isn’t right.

For more information you can visit our website at:

https://www.piercecountywa.gov/607/Long-Term-Care-Ombudsman-Program