Making a Difference

As Ombudsmen, we deal with a variety of people and complaints on a daily basis. There are those days where we come across some really ugly cases. Then, there are those days where we really make a difference.

A few weeks ago I was visiting a facility. I came upon a woman, Betsy who said she was not a complainer and everything was fine. We spoke for a bit longer when she said, "I would really like to know where my dentures are." I asked her what had happened. Betsy said that about a month before a nurse had come in and accidently knocked over her dentures and they broke in half. The nurse said she would get it taken care of. As the days and weeks went by, there was no sign of Betsy's dentures. When Betsy would ask where they were, she was told by the nurse that she wasn't sure. Throughout the month, Betsy had to eat pureed food and she refused to go to the dining room because she was embarrassed by her appearance. This situation caused isolation and depression for Betsy. There was also concern that Betsy's mouth had changed since it had been so long since she had had her dentures.

I asked Betsy if I could advocate for her especially since this is such a serious matter. Betsy said, "yes!!!" So, I went directly to the Administrator and asked him if he knew of this situation. He stated he had no idea. The Director of Nursing (DON) was there as well and stated he thought he had seen some dentures in the back of someones desk. The DON left to see if he could find them, he returned moments later with a ziplock bag containing Betsy's broken dentures. The Administrator said he would get on the matter immediately.

A week later I met with Betsy again. Betsys' dentures were fixed and she was proudly wearing them. Betsy was so happy, she said, "You know Charise, you were the only one who was able to get anything done for me. Thank you!"

This is the very reason why we have this program and why we have volunteers to participate in the lives of residents who often times are never heard.