Ohio Ombudsman Advocates for Not Discharging a Resident to a Homeless Shelter

February 07, 2018

Every year, involuntary discharges are the most frequent complaint handled by ombudsman programs across Ohio. Often, those discharge issues can be resolved through advocacy and collaboration with the resident, their family members and facility staff. When discharge action can't be avoided, a state hearing can be held, as in the case published by the My Dayton Daily Mail.

The Ombudsman program representative filed an appeal of the discharge and advocated that a homeless shelter was not a safe discharge location for an individual unable to walk, has mild dementia, and currently takes 17 prescription medications. The nursing home stated they had searched for an alternative nursing home for the resident but no facility was willing or able to currently accept the individual as a resident.  The hearing officer’s decision concluded the nursing home was not permitted to discharge the resident to a homeless shelter, which was clearly an unsafe location for the resident. 

Read the full article here.