43 Years Later, Neighbor Island Long-Term Care Residents Might Finally Get Their Own Ombudsmen … Hawaii’s long-term care ombudsman program is chronically understaffed but new legislation would put an advocate for residents of the facilities in every county.
When Hawaii established the state’s first long-term care ombudsman program in 1979, residents of nursing homes, care homes, foster homes and assisted living facilities gained an independent advocate to help ensure their quality of care.
But a key problem from 43 years ago persists today: There is a stark lack of access to the federally mandated ombudsman on neighbor islands.
Hawaii’s island geography makes it difficult for staff from the Honolulu-based ombudsman program to build trust with long-term care residents on neighbor islands or proactively monitor facilities outside Oahu.
