Today's Program
Nancy Foster introduced today's speaker, Peggy Brisgill, who covered the topic "State of Texas Ombudsman Program & Money Follows the Person." Ms. Brisgill was previously a nursing administrator until her 2012 retirement. She has been a member of Rotary since 1991 and was President in 2000.
According to Ms. Brisgill, an ombudsman helps residents by speaking for them when they have a problem. Privacy is very important to residents, and a nursing home cannot threaten any resident. As an ombudsman, Peggy attends meetings and looks for violations. She also works closely with social workers. She tries to mediate for residents and is paid part-time to teach staff of nursing homes.
Texas has set aside funds for residents to be able to go "home," but the state and doctos must determine if the person is able to go home. She mainly visits 1 home, and some homes do not have an ombudsman. She says that an ombudsman must take part in a great deal of training for their role, including continuing training once they have become an ombudsman.
Ms. Brisgill was presented with a book for sharing her time with our club.