Long-term Care Ombudsman, Your Personal Advocate.
A long-term care ombudsman is a person assigned to a specific long-term care facility in their community whose responsibility is to talk to residents, help resolve problems, and serve as a friend.

These individuals volunteer to visit long-term care facilities and genuinely care about the residents. They are also trained to be effective in their roles, and receive continued training and supervision by expert staff.

Missouri's Long-term Ombudsman Program:
  • Assures the rights of residents in long-term care facilities
  • Works to solve problems and handle complaints
  • Acts as a free and confidential service
  • Serves as a nationwide program operated in Missouri through Area
  • Agencies on Aging or the designated sponsoring organization
  • Long-term care residents benefit from the ombudsman program by:
  • Voicing concerns to the ombudsman assigned to their residential facility
  • Confidentially sharing concerns about personal circumstances or other concerns
  • Seeking help to resolve conflicts or problems
  • Learning what your rights are as a long-term care facility resident in the State of Missouri
  • Even though the ombudsman can play an instrumental role in the quality of services received in residential care, it’s also important to remember that an ombudsman is a volunteer. This person works under direct supervision of professional staff – and not as a state inspector or an employee of the facility.
Relatives or friends of long-term residents benefit by:
  • Obtaining resolution for questions or concerns about resident care, charges for care, obtaining services from resources outside of the facility
  • Achieving and maintaining a helpful relationship with the staff
  • Calling the ombudsman for advice and assistance on behalf of the resident
  • Clarifying long-term care facility regulations that apply to a given situation
For more information or to secure ombudsman services for a specific long-term residential facility, call 1-800-309-3282 or write: Department of Health and Senior Services, State of Long-Term Care Ombudsman, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102.