Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sharon Baum of Colfax is a volunteer ombudsman for five long-term care facilities in Whitman County.
She has done this for the past five years and the Eastern Washington Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is seeking more like her.
Baum began a year after her mother died in 2009. A resident of an assisted living facility in Spokane, her mother Marion would comment to Sharon during their visits that she felt sorry for neighbors who did not have any visitors.
“I saw an ad after my mother passed away,” Baum said. “I felt that this was a way not just to honor her but to give back to my community... I’ve met so many wonderful people – residents, nurses, administrators.”
Baum spends four to eight hours per week as an ombudsman, which consists of one or more visits per week at five facilities and subsequent follow-up if any issues arise.
“I’m there as the residents’ advocate. To help with any concerns that they may have,” Baum said.
Early in her new endeavor, she was explaining her role to a resident at Whitman Senior Living in Pullman.
“Do you have any clout?” the woman asked.
Baum thought about it.
“Well, yes, I do,” she said, noting the resources she was connected to.
“I have not had a case that had to go all the way through to the state,” Baum said. “Usually it gets handled by talking with the resident, the administration.”
While on a visit, if an ombudsman like Baum comes across a concern, the protocol starts with the resident giving permission for the advocate to talk to administration on their behalf — all the while keeping the resident anonymous if they would like to be.
“Sometimes the resident says, ‘Let’s wait a week. Let’s see if it gets better,’” Baum said.
Aside from her volunteer time in the county, Baum meets with other ombudsmen once per month in Spokane where they listen to speakers and share information.
Baum, who is originally from Spokane, moved to Colfax in 1968 when her late husband Gary bought the former Neil Goodyear Tire store. They raised two children – Brett and Heidi – who graduated from Colfax High School. Baum later retired from WSU in 2011 as a Principal Assistant in the School of Economic Sciences. She has four grandchildren.
Baum now spends part of her time in her volunteer role.
“I so much enjoy the residents,” she said. “When you build a rapport you become like an old friend. They have someone to talk with and know they’re not complaining. Some people just don’t have someone to advocate for them. We’re the voice. Everybody has the right to dignity and to be treated with respect.”
The Eastern Washington Long Term Care Ombudsman program, operated by Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP), is now recruiting new volunteers specifically needed in the towns surrounding Spokane. Over 150 nursing homes, assisted living or long-term care facilities in the region do not have a local ombudsman.
SNAP seeks volunteers who can spend four hours per week.
Those interested would attend a four-day training in Spokane at the SNAP Ft. Wright office, to learn resident rights, regulations, problem solving and effective communication. A free training session will be held next on April 21-22 and April 28-29.
Accommodations are provided.
“The training is excellent and you learn as you go too,” Baum said.
SNAP is a nonprofit, donor-funded community action agency serving low-income residents in the greater Spokane area. Their mission is to connect and provide access to resources that create opportunities, with dignity, for low-income people. The agency originally began in 1966 as a venture by Catholic Charities and the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
The Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program came out of the Federal Older Americans Act of 1965, with the intent to improve the quality of life for people who live in licensed long-term care facilities.
For more information about being a volunteer ombudsman call (509) 456-7133.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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