Amplifying the Voices of Long-Term Care Consumers Through Advocacy

Residents' Rights Month is celebrated every October and this year’s theme, Amplify Our Voices, emphasizes a community of long-term care residents coming together to make their voices heard. As we lead into Residents’ Rights Month, Consumer Voice spoke with two State Ombudsmen, Kelly Richards (Illinois) and Mairead Painter (Connecticut), who shared their experiences of amplifying the voices of long-term care consumers in their advocacy work. In this episode, Kelly and Mairead discuss a variety of ways that long-term care consumers in their states have advocated to make positive change, including using the media, working with legislators, and sharing their personal experiences and stories. Kelly and Mairead also talked about actions Ombudsman program representatives can take to incorporate the voices of residents in their advocacy.