Opinions Letters to Editor 24 October 2025

National Long-Term Care Residents’ Rights Month

To the editor:

Every October, communities across the country recognize National Long-Term Care Residents’ Rights Month, honoring the 1.3 million individuals who live in nursing homes, assisted living, and other residential care settings, while bringing attention to the rights that protect them.

This observance is a reminder that residents deserve more than basic care. The federal Nursing Home Reform Law guarantees a set of rights that promote dignity, choice, and a meaningful quality of life – rights that do not fade with age.

In celebration of this year’s theme, “Stand with Me,” the State Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman has launched the Ohio Residents’ Rights Council. This quarterly virtual forum gives more than 900 nursing home resident council presidents the opportunity to share their perspectives, experiences, and ideas to strengthen life in long-term care communities.

The Region 7 Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging District 7, is proud to support this effort. Our ombudsmen advocate daily for residents by helping resolve complaints, educating individuals about their rights, and providing information to Ohioans seeking long-term care.  

By combining local advocacy with a statewide platform and an opportunity to connect, the new Council ensures that the perspectives of Ohio’s residents truly guide the future of long-term care.

Our program serves ten counties, with over 75 nursing homes, assisted living and group homes in our area.  As we celebrate Residents’ Rights Month, I encourage neighbors, families, and community members to reach out to residents they know, participate in events, or consider becoming a Volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman. By actively supporting long-term care residents, we show them they are valued members of our community.

If you or your loved one has a concern or question about long-term care, you can reach your local Ombudsman at 800-582-7277 or ombudsman@aaa7.org

Sincerely,
Jamie Neely 
Ombudsman Program Director
Area Agency on Aging District 7

Add new comment

This is not for publication.
This is not for publication.
About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it. Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number and email address is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.
CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
aaa7