Onward ~ and ~ Upward_On Advocacy for persons with Disabilities

In hospitals and nursing homes, there are "patient representatives" (in some hospitals they are known as an advocate or an ombudsman).

These employees have one sole function: To assist patients and their families with almost any type of complaint or problem regarding services. An advocate should be knowledgeable enough to know certain things, like:

Advocates know their own Institution's policies, procedures and protocols for handling complaints.

In addition, an advocate or ombudsman often knows community resources which may be obscure to a patient and family. They can assist to find answers, often in an overwhelming situation for those involved. While they can't resolve "personality conflicts" with doctors or personnel, they can often smooth misunderstandings and problems.

An advocate must rely on their knowledge and experience, as well as a professional but caring/passionate belief that every person deserves proper care. An advocate usually makes telephone calls on a patient's behalf, with the intention to resolve problems or to coordinate care; their work is primarily verbal, so they need to be personable and be able to communicate well. It is rare that *most* advocates write letters on a patient's behalf, simply because most situations need to be handled quickly (letters would simply delay getting a resolution in most situations). Sometimes, an Advocate also needs to be persuasive, with a goal towards a "win-win" for all concerned.

One website describes the job duties and skills for a "Volunteer Resident Advocate" position, dealing with nursing home residents:

Skills Required:
Ability to communicate orally and in writing.
Sensitivity to the institutionalized elderly.
Open-minded and non-judgmental – the ability to be fair and honest.
Resourceful in coping with a variety of situations.
Sense of humor in dealing with day-to-day concerns.
Perseverance – working on a problem until it is solved.
Tactful and diplomatic with staff residents and families.
Good listener – the ability to determine the true nature of the problem behind a complaint.

Duties:

To receive, handle and try to resolve residents complaints, including those made on behalf of a resident, within the facility, under supervision of the Regional Ombudsman.
To assist in the protection of residents rights.
To monitor the exercising of residents rights within the facility.
To provide education for residents and their families about the facility’s rules, regulations, and procedures which insure a better understanding of the services to which residents are entitled.
To establish good working relationships with the facility’s administrator and staff.
To refer unresolved complaints to the Regional Ombudsman.
To work with resident and family councils to encourage interaction among residents and between residents and their community.
To encourage and assist in developing resident and family councils where none exist.
To maintain current and accurate records as required – by the Ombudsman office.
To assist residents and their families or legal representatives in understanding rights in relation to transfers within, and discharges from nursing homes.
To have knowledge of the responsibilities and functions of regulatory and community agencies

Some of these jobs list specific QUALIFICATIONS, like:

Minimum Training & Experience include a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Law or Pre-law, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, English, Political Science, Philosophy, Public Administration, History, Statistics, Business Administration/Economics/Management, Computer Science or a related field
AND
Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written form using correct grammar
AND
Intermediate level skill in using MS Windows based computer application programs for word processing and data entry functions.
(Plus other requirements specific to a locality, or type of advocate.)

As various offices involving human services have grown, and specialized services are needed, more advocates are sought. Some services are so complex that advocates are needed to work through the maze of offices or services. For example, there used to be no advocates for victims of rape or domestic abuse, but advocates have been employed to assist victims as they move through the criminal justice system and medical system.

CONSUMER ADVOCACY