Alaska has 20 nursing facilities and about 270 assisted living homes in 25 communities in Alaska. Many of these residents are frail Alaskan elders who have no family nearby to advocate for them.
Our volunteers visit with elders in nursing facilities and assisted living homes. While visiting, they monitor the conditions in homes, listen to residents, work with the home to resolve problems, and alert Long Term Care Ombudsman staff when they cannot resolve problems or when residents are at risk of harm.
Our program’s mission is to assist residents to resolve any issues they are having while in the facility. Our volunteers come from many walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: they are committed to making residents’ lives better.
We invite you to join this dedicated group of Volunteer Long Term Care Ombudsmen.
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and able to pass a criminal background check. They complete 36 hours of training (available in person or online), followed by personal training in assigned facilities by their regional ombudsman. We continue to provide support and feedback to volunteers as needed.
Volunteers can work as few as 2-4 hours a month, but we do ask them to make a year’s commitment to the program.
For more information, please call Deputy Long Term Care Ombudsman Alvin Ancheta at 334-2359 or fill out and submit a volunteer application by clicking here.
Communities we visit: