Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa County

Our name is pronounced om·buds·man, but don’t worry we don’t mind sounding it out.WHO WE AREWe are the primary and first advocates for the 9,000 residents of long-term care in Contra Costa County. Our primary objective is to address issues or situations that negatively impact the health, safety and dignity of residents living in long-term care and help to create a swift and immediate resolution to the problem whenever possible.OSCC staff and volunteers maintain a regular presence in 400 plus long-term care facilities through out Contra Costa County visiting many facilities monthly or even weekly to ensure that we are accessible to residents, families and facilities. Our trained and seasoned Field Ombudsman receive, investigate and resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents of long-term care.We are change agents in our community reaching beyond our core services of addressing issues of quality of life and quality of care for LTC residents and offering education to facilities, families and the community at large on issues affecting aging, culture change, dementia care, placement, end of life care and many more.OUR SERVICESMonitor long term facilities for quality of care, quality of life and violation of residents’ rightsAdvocate on behalf of facility residentsReceive, investigate and resolve complaints on behalf of residentsInvestigate complaints of elder abuse that occur in facilitiesWork with families to find suitable placement for their loved onesWork to resolve systemic problems that affect residents living in long-term careWitnessing services for execution of Advance Directives for Health Care in Skilled Nursing Facilities Assistance to access MediCalInvestigation of MediCal fraudCommunity EducationIn-service education for long-term care facility staffWHO WE SERVETo date, we are currently serving:32 Nursing Homes with 2,900 Residents406 Assisted Living Facilities with 7,000 residents