LTCOP Research

• Federal Government Reports/Projects
• Resources Produced by NORC
• Other Research/Reports

Federal Government Reports/Projects

Final Report for the Process Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) (September 2019)
The Final Report for the Process Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) is available from NORC at the University of Chicago. This is one of seven products that have been developed as part of the process evaluation of the Ombudsman program. This study determines the efficacy of LTCOP in carrying out core functions as described in the Older Americans Act, the long-term impacts of the LTCOP’s for various stakeholders, what system advocacy among Ombudsman programs looks like, and effective or promising Ombudsman program practices. The overarching goal of the process evaluation is to support program planning and improvement by assessing the LTCOP’s implementation at the federal, state, and local levels. To that end, this report examines the program’s structure and operations, use of resources to carry out its legislative mandates, the nature of Ombudsman program partnerships, and program quality assurance activities.

• The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and the Changing Landscape of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Report
• Research Briefs
  • (1) Understanding the Uniqueness of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program within the Aging Services Network
  • (2) Protecting Rights and Preventing Abuse: Handling Resident Complaints in Long-Term Care Facilities
  • (3) Protecting Rights and Preventing Abuse: Systems Advocacy and Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Organizational Placement
  • (4) Strengthening the Aging and Disability Networks: Use of Volunteers in Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs
  • (5) Strengthening the Aging and Disability Networks: Promising Practices of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs
• The LTCOP Challenges Factsheet and Volunteers Factsheet are based on data from the Research Briefs.

National Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: Local Data Collection (May 2018)
This 30-minute webinar is applicable to all staff representatives in the 27 states that have been invited to participate in the National Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. As part of this study, local/regional ombudsmen are being asked to complete an online survey about their experiences with the program. In this webinar, the speakers provide a description of the evaluation and its activities, a demonstration of how to access the online survey, and information on how to reach out to the team for technical support.  Speakers include Kim Nguyen and Emily White, NORC at the University of Chicago. Click here to access the slides.

Webinar: Evaluation Study Design for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs under the Older Americans Act: Research Design Options  (July 2013) 
This webinar discussed the new Evaluation Study Design for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs under the Older Americans Act: Research Design Options, developed by NORC at the University of Chicago and funded by the Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging.  Click here to read the full report. The researchers from NORC Chicago gave an overview of the new evaluation tool, and participants were given an opportunity for questions and discussion.  Representatives from the Administration on Aging at the Administration for Community Living also gave a quick update on next steps for the evaluation tool.

LTCOP: Overall Capacity (1999)
This report examined the Ombudsman program in the 10 States with the largest nursing home population and analyzed 1997 program data from the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS). The report also reviews written program procedures, and phone interviews with State and local ombudsmen, as well as State Unit on Aging Directors in order to describe the overall capacity of State Long Term Care Ombudsman programs and to promote and monitor quality of care in nursing homes. 

Real People, Real Problems: An Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs of the Older Americans Act (Institute of Medicine (IoM), 1995)
This report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) addresses important aspects of the long-term care (LTC) ombudsmen’s ability to deal with problems concerning care provided to and quality of life achieved by elderly residents of LTC facilities.

Resources Produced by NORC

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Training Standards Report of Workgroup Meetings and Proposals for Standards (March 2017)
Based on the language in the Older American Act regarding “model standards established by the Director of the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs” the primary focus for the workgroup discussions was to develop proposals for a minimum number of initial training hours, content of the training, and a minimum number of hours for annual in-service training for all representatives of the Office [OAA 712 (h)(5)].

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Strategy Session (December 2011)

Other Research/Reports

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Bibliography of Published Articles, Developed by H. Wayne Nelson, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Interprofessional Health Studies, Towson University, and Danielle Valente, Graduate Assistant (2023)

The Role of Ombudsmen in Assuring Quality for Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities: Straining to Make Ends Meet (National Health Policy Forum, December 2009)

Systems Advocacy and the Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (2008, Brooke Hollister, PhD)

The LTCOP: Rethinking and Retooling for the Future (2003 - The Bader Report)

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