A secret detection device
Emily is all bundled up when I visit her in the assisted living facility. She’s in a heavy wool cardigan sweater and sitting on the bed with her legs tucked under the covers, reading one of the spy novels stacked on the chair next to her bed. “It’s cold in here,” she says, putting down her book and pulling her sweater closer around her. I agree, it is chilly.
“They say the temperature is 72 degrees, but that’s out in the hallway where the thermostat is, not in my room. I was told to keep my door open so it would warm up in here. I like my privacy and I don’t think I should have to do that.”
“I don’t either,” I say. “Let’s see what we can do about it.” As an ombudsman, I’m an advocate and a problem-solver for residents living in long-term care. I lean in toward Emily: “I have a secret detection device I’m going to bring with me next time I come.” That makes Emily smile. “Sounds like something in one my spy novels,” she whispers.
Emily has crippling arthritis and moves about in a wheelchair. Some days she’s just too achy and too fatigued to get out of bed, so her room is her haven. She has it decorated with large framed landscapes she painted years ago. Cherished photographs of loved ones and memories are distributed around the room on shelves and furniture tops. Emily has seen and done a lot in her 94 years. I’m thinking she deserves these last years to be as comfortable as possible.
A few days later I arrive at the facility with my detection device, a hand-held room temperature meter that looks something like a small revolver. Emily is delighted. “Let me try it,” she says after she watches me aim it in several directions. “I knew it,” she says excitedly, holding the device with two hands and pointing it around the room like a character in one of her novels. “It says it’s 67 degrees in here.”
As a result of my visit as an ombudsman, the old furnace is replaced with a new and more powerful one. Emily is now contentedly reading her spy novels in comfort.
Whenever an ombudsman visits a facility, it’s to advocate for the well-being of the residents. Our main concerns are resident rights, quality of care and quality of life. There are good facilities in our area, but there are also problems that need our attention to get solved, and there is never an end to new ones.
If being a volunteer ombudsman peaks your interest, there is a once-a-year training in September-October, one day a week for seven weeks, at the Area Agency on Aging in Coeur d’Alene. Prerequisites are a car, good communication skill, and a caring heart.
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To find out more, please call Jan Noyes at 667-3179 or jnoyes@aaani.org.