Council on Aging Answers 2015 - 67

COUNCIL ON AGING - ORANGE COUNTY

Advocacy And Dignity
Snyder is one of 16 paid Ombudsmen who routinely check on the welfare of residents in the county's
1,100 licensed long-term care facilities. They also respond to complaints about unlicensed facilities.
Another 70 people volunteer as Ombudsmen for
the nonprofit program, which started in 1976 and operates under both state and federal mandates.
Snyder's compassion for the elderly stems from her
childhood in Wichita, Kan. An 11-year-old Lahoma
Council On Aging-Orange County | 714-479-0107 | www.coaoc.org

- it's an Indian name meaning "peace and tranquility" - spent afternoons after school helping an elderly
neighbor with arthritis. She was paid $1 a week.
She and her husband raised four children. He died
two years ago. She still lives in the home they bought
in 1963.
Years spent working part time providing in-home
services to shut-ins, and time spent taking care of
her husband's elderly mother, father, aunt, uncle and
grandmother gave Snyder insight into the needs of
the elderly. She also learned about the limitations of
what families can or will provide.
She started with the Ombudsman program in
1992, attracted by an ad in the PennySaver.
There were so few volunteers back then that she
made the rounds of 106 facilities.
Now Snyder is assigned to 14 residences, all in
Anaheim, ranging from converted houses with six
beds to 200-bed complexes.
Most residents in long-term care are seniors. Many
don't have much income, relying on Social Security
and Supplemental Security Income.
And they often are reluctant to speak to management or other authorities if something - or someone
- is bothering them.
Unannounced inspections are rare from the state
agencies charged with overseeing the county's network of small board-and-care homes, large assisted
living facilities, and skilled nursing homes.
While the state isn't often around, Ombudsmen
like Snyder are.
"Without us, there would be nobody looking out
for these people," says Kathleen Weidner, who became director of the Long Term Care Ombudsman
Program five years ago
An Ombudsman's role can range from something
as simple as Snyder's "You need help?" to contacting
police when there is suspicion of abuse, or filing complaints with state authorities.
Most often, they try to work with facility owners
and staff, educating and negotiating to address the
concerns of residents or their family members.
In 2008, state budget cuts nearly wiped out the
Ombudsman program, cutting 15 of 18 paid staff. All
but one continued working as volunteers.
Late last year, the program got a boost, with a
Answers Guide 2015

hOUSING

family to advocate for them.
That's where the Council on Aging - Orange County's Ombudsman Program steps in, with men and
women like Snyder who pay attention to individual
needs.
Ombudsmen don't regulate the facilities, but state
law says they must be allowed access and the opportunity to meet privately with residents.
Snyder is 80, almost certainly the oldest Ombudsman in Orange County. At an age when her contemporaries might be seeking to move into an assisted
living home, she works nearly full time keeping such
places accountable.
Two knee surgeries have slowed her down, and
during a recent visit Snyder jokes with the operators
of the Robin's Nest, an Anaheim board-and-care
home on her rounds, to save a room for her.
But Snyder, who makes herself available 24/7, has
no intention of retiring anytime soon.
"I hope I can make it a few more years, till I can't
walk and I can't talk," says Snyder, who keeps her
blond hair long and her nails well-manicured.
"I can't imagine not being able to go out there and
look out for the welfare of these people who have no
one. I just couldn't sleep at night."
Nothing escapes her eyes, her ears, her nose...or
her heart.
Inside the elevator at La Palma Royale, she recognizes another older man.
"You still smelling smoke?" she asks him.
A while back, the man had been staying in a room
where he was bothered by secondhand cigarette
smoke. Snyder spoke to management and got his
room changed.
"It's a dream come true," the man tells Snyder.
"Thanks to you."

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Council on Aging Answers 2015

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