Elder Rights and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Since 1975 the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has grown and developed under the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965. With the passage of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 1992, this program was combined with other advocacy functions and placed in Title VII—Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection Activities. This article provides a historical overview of the policy, programmatic, and research issues that surround OAA and explains the activities of ombudsmen in their local communities and the roles many social workers perform under the auspices of long-term care ombudsman programs.