With Christmas around the corner and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let’s remember family, friends and residents in nursing homes.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program would like to wish Happy Holidays to all longterm care residents. We like to encourage family and friends to visit loved ones in long-term care facilities and take time for residents who do not have many visitors, during the holidays.

While this can be a joyous time for many, for others it can be isolating. Some of these residents have lost loved ones or their family lives out of town or out of state. Please make time to visit with these wonderful residents that will speak with anyone and enjoy what time is spent with them.

During this time of year, it can be a great opportunity to gift residents with needed items that may be outside their budget, such as personal items like warm, comfortable clothing or simple everyday hygiene necessities. Residents will appreciate crosswords, word searches, even envelopes and stamps.

We would also like to recognize all long-term care staff. They sacrifice time away from their families and deserve recognition. Their roles ensure residents receive necessary care year-round.

The goal of the Ombudsman Program is to advocate for long-term care residents, investigate complaints, and help improve overall quality of life. The role of the Ombudsman is to inform residents and families about residents’ rights and provide resources that may be able to address the residents’ concerns.

Wealsohaveavolunteer program that trains and empowers participants to be the voice of long-term care residents that are unable or unwilling to speak for themselves.

The program is always looking for volunteers- time is the greatest gift to give. For more info, contact your local ombudsman at Eastern Oklahoma Development District (EODD) Area Agency on Aging at 918-682-7891.