News

Mireille Phillips, Legal Counsel to the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program,
and Karrie Craig, the Maryland State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, teamed up this Fall
to present “It Takes a Village: The Ombudsman Role in Converting Law Enforcement to
Resident Advocates” at the ABA National Aging & Law Conference hosted by
Syracuse University College of Law. This session aligned well with conference theme,
“The Right to Age Well: Advancing Law, Equity, and Human Dignity.”

In this educational session, the two long time colleagues (Ms. Craig formerly worked as
the Assistant State Ombudsman in Michigan) collaborated to share real-world scenarios
and best practices, as well as to highlight a new toolkit for law enforcement and first
responders. The presentation addressed a growing problem; law enforcement and first
responders called to nursing homes often have no training in residents’ rights, may
defer to staff as the “professionals,” or may treat resident complaints as civil matters.
Ms. Craig and Ms. Phillips explained how these gaps can lead officers to take cursory
action, unknowingly contribute to rights violations, or fail to report abuse and neglect to
regulators. They then led attendees in a collaborative and interactive discussion of six
real world scenarios and the resident rights at stake in each:
- Involuntary discharge/ eviction
- 911 calls when residents cannot get basic care
- Unwelcome visitors
- An alleged sexual assault involving residents
- Financial fraud and stolen property
- Natural disaster preparedness

Finally, the presentation also highlighted the recently published Toolkit for Law
Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services When Called to a Long-Term Care
Facility, developed by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care with
support from the Elder Justice Initiative at the U.S. Department of Justice. The toolkit
offers fact sheets and videos for law enforcement and first responders on residents’
rights, protecting residents from abuse and neglect, resident decision-making,
communication, and documentation. It is available here.

Attendees left with practical best practices for building lasting partnerships with the law
enforcement officers and first responders in their communities. With ongoing education,
support, and communication, law enforcement personnel and first responders can
become strong allies in protecting and empowering long term care residents.