Florida's Bi-lingual LTC Advocacy
Dr. David J. Demko, gerontologist
AgeVenture News Service 02-12-03
"Florida has one of the largest and most culturally diverse populations of elders in the U.S.," says Governor Jeb Bush. As Florida's elder population continues to grow, Bush wants to ensure that the state has a cadre of volunteers to respond to elder care needs. The state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, now in its second phase, intends to do just that, improve the quality of life for elders in long-term care settings. Of particular importance is the need for bilingual volunteers to help the increasing number of Spanish and Creole speaking elders who reside in our state.
Ombudsman is a Swedish word roughly translated to mean "advocate". In this case, it refers to advocating the needs of elders in Florida. Historically in Florida, the road to elder advocacy was bumpy, and often full of ironic twists and turns. More about that later. Afterall, that was then, and this is now. These days, Florida has chosen a unique, less-traveled road to better elder care. Let's hope this time that choice makes all the difference in the world ... the world of elder care.
The current campaign began this past summer, emphasizing the need for both consumer education and multilingual volunteers. In 2002, the campaign provided direct and assistance to elder long-term care residents in 3,524 Florida facilities. Those actions were in response to 8,300 complaints investigated by 67,000 volunteers.
The second phase of the program launched in 2003 seeks to increase these both the number of volunteers
and the number of elders served.
Building on the campaign's "phase one" success, Florida plans an intensive media and "grass roots"
campaign in cooperation with Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm. The program plans to promote
volunteerism across the state and reach out to minority groups in specific areas where language issues may pose an obstacle. The state program coordinates free services for residents across the state, responds to complaints, ensures access to services, and represents the interests of the elderly before governmental agencies.
The second phase of this campaign offers a number of consumer initiatives.
- informing families on how to choose a nursing home;
- educating elders on how to retain resident's rights;
- seminars and workshops promoting available services;
- investigating and solving complaints;
- promoting the enforcement of laws and regulations;
- recommending policy on long-term care issues.
In addition, an Ambassadors for Aging Day will celebrate the value of older Floridians. The event, scheduled for March 6, 2003 in Tallahassee, recognizes the talents and contributions of elders.
In my opinion, it's good to see Florida come to the defense of institutionalized elders. A year or two ago,
Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney picked attorney Michael Hammond as his advisor on nursing home issues. Doesn't sound odd on the surface. But here's the clincher. Hammond represented Florida's most powerful nursing home insurance companies. Subsequently, the legislature voted to put a cap on personal injury suits filed by
elders alleging nursing home abuse. There's nothing like a big financial slap to get an abusive nursing home
back in line with acceptable standards of elder care. But not in Florida. Any way, those outrageous acts were akin to putting the fox in charge of the hen house. A system that works well ... if you're the fox. Let's hope this latest
effort to defend vulnerable elders is sincere, dedicated, and effective.
Bilingual volunteer ombudsmen are especially needed in Miami Dade County and the Florida Keys.
To learn more about the program or express interest in volunteering, contact the
Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in Florida at: 1-888-831-0404.
Image credit: State Office of Elder Affairs, Tallahassee, Florida.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
See related articles in AgeVenture Headline News archives.
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