Footnotes on the Fate of the Elderly Displaced by Laguna Manor’s Closure

Re “State Shuts Down 2 Retirement Homes” (Sept. 5): The article regarding closure of Laguna Manor (a residential-care facility for the elderly) gave readers the impression that elderly residents were turned out into the street, left to fend for themselves.

I’d like to inform the community that the Long Term Care Ombudsman Service was one of several agencies assisting in relocating these residents and at no time were they or their families left to fend for themselves.

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Service is mandated by state and federal law to advocate for the legal and moral rights of senior citizens residing in nursing and residential-care facilities. In Orange County, nine staff ombudsmen and 45 volunteers visit residents regularly to empower them in the assertion of their rights.

The closure of a facility is traumatic for the residents and their families. The role of the ombudsman is to focus attention specifically on the residents. They explain the procedures, hold their hands, offer encouragement and interact with their families. Because ombudsmen are in facilities more than any other agency, we know of vacancies as well as the specific character of other local facilities. With this information, we help families locate alternative placements.

The Orange County Council on Aging Ombudsman Service is available to assist residents and their families. The agency is nonprofit and the service is free.

PAMALA D. McGOVERN

Executive Director

Orange County Council on Aging

Santa Ana