Inform, protect and care

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Senior Advocacy Services

One agency with three programs that advocate for seniors in long term care facilities and Medicare beneficiaries who want unbiased individual help and advocacy.

Ombudsman

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Project Tablet Turnover

Would you like to Donate a Used Tablet? Drop it off at 5787 Desoto Drive in Santa Rosa or call (707) 526 – 4108 for pick up.  Please reset your tablet to Factory Settings before donating and provide the power cord.  

 

Elderly man taking with family on ipad

Ending Loneliness for Seniors in Long-Term Care

Loneliness in seniors may be fatal. Studies show the feeling of loneliness and emptiness causes suffering for seniors but can lead to serious health problems and even death. With the isolation created by the COVID-19 virus, our elderly living in Skilled Nursing Facilities are alone. For many, families can no longer visit, listen to their stories, or give hugs and loving affection.

Ombudsman have a plan to help in these extraordinary times. Can you donate a used tablet? We will help set up with access to games, social media apps, YouTube, free video conferencing and more.  You can help connect a senior in need with the tech we rely on so heavily now.

Donate by delivering your device at 5787 Desoto Drive in Santa Rosa (Rincon Valley) just east of Safeway (Calistoga Rd./Highway  12). Please put the tablet along with its power cord in the box slot as labeled – it will be sitting on a table with a balloon for easy visibility.

If you are unable to drop-off your tablet, call Senior Advocacy Service at (707) 526-4108 to arrange for a staff member to come pick up.  As a small, local non-profit we do not have the ability to refurbish these tablets.  We are asking for working devices that have already been reset to factory settings with the passwords, pins, cellular service etc. removed. If you donate an ipad, turn off the “find my ipad” before restoring it to factory settings.  Help us by donating tablets ready to be given to an isolated senior in need.

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Right to Proper Notice of Discharge or Eviction

black and white line drawing of a older judge with gavel and book

“The facility staff told me I have to move out in three days! I have nowhere to go. Can you help me? “This is a common call to the Ombudsman office. Because of their vulnerable condition, the impact of transfer on elderly residents in long term care can be traumatic and can result in increased risk of illness and death. To minimize transfer trauma resident’s should be involved in all stages of the move process – Preliminary Planning; Choice of a New Location; Visit to the New Location; Orientation at the New Location.
Long term residents in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) in California (usually under Medical) are protected from unnecessary discharges by regulations set by the Department of Public Health (CDPH). There are six reasons that SNFs can give for discharging/transferring a resident:
1. The facility is unable to meet the resident’s medical needs
2. The resident’s health has improved such that he/she no longer needs nursing home care
3. The safety of other individuals is endangered
4. The health of other individuals would be compromise
5. The resident has failed, after reasonable notice, to pay for his/her stay in the facility
6. The facility ceases to operate
Discharge/Eviction notices must be in writing, not verbal, and must be given to the resident and their responsible party 30 days before the discharge date. If there is a question about the decision to discharge facilities must be able to produce documentation to support eviction notices for reasons 1 – 4.
Have you or a family member/friend received an eviction notification? Contact Senior Advocacy Services and speak with our Ombudsman!
Read More to learn about when you can be discharged and your right to proper notice of discharge or eviction. The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) is an excellent resource for questions about Skilled Nursing and Residential Care Facilities.
Are you living outside of California? Call your local Ombudsman for concerns about evictions. You can search the web by typing Your State and Ombudsman in the search field to find a local office.
This article is an installment in the Resident Rights Series.

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Volunteer with Us!

Multi-colored hands raised and the word Volunteer
My name is Jared Schlyer, Senior Advocacy Services newly appointed Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator and I am looking for compassionate, problem-solving, empathetic and detail oriented individuals who are looking to devote their time to serving seniors as a Certified Ombudsman, a Certified Medicare Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program, or Elder Justice Advocate!
Are you able to help give a voice to those who live in long term care? Do you have the sharp and organized mind to advise those who are on Medicare understand its many intricacies from year to year? Your time is not only valued but much needed!
Senior Advocacy Services also has three major events each year in which run on volunteer support. At Christmas, we wrap and bring gifts to residents of long term care facilities. For Mother’s Day, volunteers craft flower bouquets and deliver them out to the lucky ladies of long term care facilities. And in April we host our annual fundraiser Pick of the Vine with wine, beer and bites in support of seniors in Sonoma County.
Come volunteer today we have a spot for you!
For more information visit our website senioradvocacyservices.org or contact Jared Schlyer via email Jareds@sasnb.org or phone (707) 526-4108 x118

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What Does Kindness Look Like? Celebrating the Valuable Work Our Volunteers Do.

Senior Advocacy Services has a long history of working with a large cadre of generous volunteers helping to advocate for and inform seniors across six counties (Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Solano, Mendocino, and Lake). Our volunteers provide tangible results and intangible qualities that not only brighten the days of our aging population but also make a direct impact on their safety and quality of life.

Ways we depend upon our Volunteers

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Emergency Preparedness 2019. A Look Back to Look Ahead.

Image of a Senior's hands

The call came in to the Ombudsman of the Day about a week after the 2017 Sonoma County Fires.

“They left my mother in her apartment during the fire!”

Where was your mom living?

“In an assisted living facility. She called me from her apartment during the fire. My mom could see the flames and smell the smoke. She didn’t have any electricity. She is 90 and was scared and she didn’t understand what was going on.”

She wasn’t evacuated?

“No, they left her in her apartment! No one came to help her get out. When she called me, I couldn’t understand and asked her Where are You? She said in her apartment. I couldn’t believe it, so I jumped in my car and drove up there. At first the emergency services refused to let me in and said that the facility had evacuated everyone. I had to convince them that my mom was STILL IN HER APARTMENT!”

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