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ICARE: Ombudsmen & Other Advocates

Person Helping an Older Adult, Holding Her Hand

Long-term care ombudsmen and other advocates play an important role in the physical, psychological, and social well-being of nursing home residents and their families.

The ICARE lessons and resources are available for nursing home advocates to learn and teach:

  • Basic infection prevention and control actions that should be taken by all nursing homes to protect residents, family members, and staff from the spread of germs.
  • The important role of resident rights in promoting infection prevention and the overall well-being or residents.
  • How to engage with nursing home leadership and staff to empower residents in protecting resident rights and promoting person-centered care.

To better understand how long-term care ombudsmen can use ICARE to balance infection prevention and resident rights, please complete this short, interactive lesson: ICARE: Overview for Long-Term Care Ombudsmen

The lesson above can also benefit other resident advocates from state or local governmental agencies, community organizations, and volunteers. 

Long-term care ombudsmen and other advocates can help promote infection prevention and control that empowers everyone in the nursing home community and respects residents’ rights by following these steps:

  1. Watch the ICARE lessons and clips on the ICARE Lessons & Resources page to learn how to prevent and control infections while respecting residents’ rights.
  2. Let nursing home community leadership know the ICARE program can help them meet regulatory requirements related to infection control, resident rights, and quality improvement and lead to culture change. Refer leadership to the ICARE: Nursing Home Community Leadership and Staff page. Inform leadership assistance in implementing the ICARE program is available at no cost by emailing ICARE staff at ICARE@unthsc.edu. 
  3. Present the ICARE lessons and handouts to nursing home residents and their families. Several presentations and handouts are available on the ICARE Lessons & Resources page. 

 

Several ICARE lessons and resources are available to help long-term care ombudsmen and others advocate for resident rights and quality care, including infection prevention and control. These materials can be accessed here: ICARE Lessons & Resources.

This page was last modified on September 5, 2024