The Austin-area long-term care ombudsman
Ombudsmen advocate for nursing home and assisted living residents. The service is free and confidential, and the office is independent of Texas HHS. Austin's regional office is Capital Area, at 512-916-6054 or 888-622-9111 option three.
Ombudsmen advocate for residents of nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, investigating complaints about care quality, residents' rights, improper transfer or discharge, restraint use, and abuse or neglect. The Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is structurally independent of the Texas HHS system. Services are free and confidential, and an ombudsman acts only with the consent of the resident or their representative.
- Regional office: Capital Area Area Agency on Aging
- Contact: Managing Local Ombudsman Tracey Cummings
- Phone: 512-916-6054 or 888-622-9111, option 3
- Address: 6800 Burleson Rd., Bldg. 310, Ste. 165, Austin, TX 78744
- Counties covered: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, and Williamson
Source: Texas LTC Ombudsman directory
When to call, and what to expect
Most families call an ombudsman after a crisis. The office is considerably more useful earlier, while a problem is still a pattern rather than an incident, because the resolutions available are softer and faster.
An ombudsman can attend a care conference with you, which changes the dynamic of that meeting noticeably. They can also tell you whether what you are experiencing is unusual for that building, because they visit facilities routinely rather than only on complaints.
The consent rule
An ombudsman acts only with the consent of the resident or their legal representative. This surprises adult children. If your parent has capacity and does not want a complaint pursued, that decision stands, even where you disagree with it.
What it is not
The ombudsman does not license, inspect or fine facilities. Where enforcement is needed, that is HHSC. The two work in parallel, and using one does not preclude the other.
