Tri-County Full Time Long Term Care Ombudsman

Tri-County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program: Seeking a candidate to fill a full-time position as a paid resident advocate, serving to help protect the rights and dignity of older adults as well as disabled individuals living in long term care facilities inclusive of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult homes. A team player with characteristics including adaptability, collaboration, reliability, professionalism, positivity, enthusiasm, and initiative is being sought.

The Tri-County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) is hosted by the Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) and is a regional program of the NYS Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP).  The geographical territory of this regional program includes Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties. The chosen candidate will be primarily responsible for visiting Westchester long-term care facilities but will assist in neighboring counties as needed and will help residents understand and exercise their rights to good care in an environment that promotes and protects their dignity and quality of life. The successful applicant will be required to participate in a paid week-long training program to become a NYS certified ombudsman prior to beginning facility visits.

Necessary skills:

• Must have experience and ease in effectively communicating with others, previous work experience with older and/or disabled adults preferred.
• Must have the drive and commitment to responding to the concerns of residents in long-term care facilities who have multiple health conditions.
• Critical thinking, ability to solve problems, and having the ability to handle difficult interpersonal situations are essential.
• Must have reliable transportation and a willingness to travel throughout the three counties of this regional program. The ombudsman candidate will need to be comfortable locating and driving to long-term care facilities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam.
• Excellent computer skills (using Outlook email/calendar, Word, Excel and Zoom), telephone, and interpersonal skills are required.
• The candidate must be able to think independently while seeking support/guidance when necessary while remaining compliant with program guidance, policies, and procedures.
• Candidate must be comfortable working collaboratively in a fast-paced team setting and demonstrate an understanding of the significance of the ombudsman position to improving the lives of long-term care residents.

Position responsibilities/requirements include:   

• Visiting long-term care facilities four days a week and advocating for residents with facility staff after resident consent.
• Providing telephone coverage on non-field days and working on case documentation.
• Communicating with supervisor daily and providing a weekly schedule of facility visits to management in advance.
• Responding to emails, texts, and calls in a timely manner.
• Documenting all ombudsman activities and complaint case investigations while ensuring all monthly deadlines are met.
• Attending resident meetings as well as educational/outreach opportunities when assigned.
• Completing 18 hours of ombudsman continuing education annually.
• Learning the NYS data reporting system.

The successful ombudsman candidate will have the opportunity to participate in regularly scheduled regional team meetings, regularly scheduled one-on-one supervisory meetings, monthly state LTCOP and LTCCC agency calls, data system calls as well as continuing education webinars to meet program requirements.

The annual salary for this position will range from $35,000 to $40,000, depending on experience and education.  A full-time work week is 35 hours.  Mileage reimbursement is provided to cover travel to all long-term care facilities.  Benefits include vacation and fringe benefits, as well as paid holidays and personal time. All candidates must provide two written professional and personal references. The final candidate must complete a short scenario exercise with the Program Director and complete pre-shadow visits to a nursing home before starting.  If interested, please send a cover letter and resume directly to Program Director, Judy Farrell, at [email protected].