Become a Volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman!
The Vermont Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is looking for volunteers to serve in Chittenden, Franklin, Essex, Caledonia, Orleans, or Addison County.
The Vermont Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program protects the health, welfare and rights of people who receive long-term care in licensed long-term care facilities. We also advocate for people who receive long-term care in the community through Vermont’s Choices for Care program. Certified Volunteer Ombudsmen are important members of the Ombudsman Program team.
If you become a volunteer ombudsman, you will work under the supervision of paid staff as an advocate for residents of long-term care facilities (nursing homes, residential care homes and assisted living residences). You will be assigned to facilities in your community and make frequent, unannounced visits to identify and address residents’ problems.
During these visits, you will get to know the residents, respond to resident complaints, report serious problems, and provide residents and their families with information that helps improve residents’ quality of life and quality of care.
For more information, visit our website here: https://vtlegalaid.org/about-vla/get-involved/volunteer-ombudsman
Volunteer ombudsmen must be at least 18 years old. You must complete an application be interviewed by our paid staff, provide references, and consent to a criminal background check.
Once accepted into our program, volunteers complete 20 hours of classroom training and 30 hours of field training to become a certified volunteer ombudsman. Volunteers are required to attend 20 hours of training each year. You must provide your own transportation, but we reimburse for mileage. We ask for a commitment of 3-5 hours per week for a minimum of 1 year.