Job Description

Under the guidance of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman, the Regional Ombudsman and the supervision of Vantage Point Area Agency on Aging Director and the Finance/Operations Manager, the Department of Disability and Special Needs (DDSN) Ombudsman identifies, investigates and resolves reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation made by or on behalf of residents that relate to action, inaction or decisions that may adversely affect the health, safety, welfare or rights of the victim in the Pee Dee Region.  Training will be provided by the South Carolina Department on Aging State Ombudsman office.  Travel to Columbia is required for training.  Travel to DDSN buildings are required.  Candidate MUST PASS test in order to become a certified DDSN Ombudsman. The duties include the following:

• Provide problem solving assistance and advocacy using practices established by the State Long Term Ombudsman and The LTC Ombudsman Policy and Procedures.
• Shall abide by procedures established under federal and state law as well as all policies set by the State Long Term Care Ombudsman.
• Shall fulfill the obligations and protocols of the LTCO program to receive funding and conducts services corresponding to the Ombudsman Policies and Procedures in accordance with the State Ombudsman policies, procedures and protocols
• Shall receive calls and complaint reports from facilities, residents, family and the community and address as indicated by the Ombudsman Policy and Procedures.
• Shall respond and investigate reports of abuse, gross neglect (with resident at risk with 24 hours, residents not believed to be at risk 5 days) residents who have been threatened transfer, transferred or discharged from a facility and exploitation on behalf or resident in timely manner.
• Shall advocate and counsel patients regarding their rights while empowering them to take control of available services
• Prepares correspondence and reports to facilities, client’s family members and the State Ombudsman program within a timely manner.
• Shall promptly and accurately refer complaints to other state and federal agencies (DHEC, Police, Attorney General) when needed.
• Sets up and maintains resident files on complaints which are stored in a locked file cabinet in compliance with the Ombudsman Policy and Procedures.
• Shall accurately input data into the Ombudsman tracking system (Wellsky) within 48 hours of receiving and document every call and contact, including information only calls.
• Shall attend all Ombudsman meetings.
• Shall provide problem solving and mediation technical assistance to facilities, families and other agencies
• Shall conduct trainings and in-services at facilities, other agencies, churches and civic groups.
• Responsible for visiting every facility in the service area once a month.
• Shall maintain continuing education hours.
• Will work closely with facility administrators to ensure the safety of residents in the event of an emergency
• All documents in Relias and PowerDMS are signed off and completed in a timely manner.
• Willingly performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of two years of experience in a related field that may include social work or equivalent combinations of training and experience with demonstrated competence to fulfill duties assigned to this position on the behalf of resident in timely manner
• Ability to access training needs and objectives
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• A valid driver’s license
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variable in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral and diagram or schedule form.
• Ability to work independently and handle problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Hours

Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and Friday 8:00 am – 1:00 pm. Full Time, 40 hours weekly.

Location

Hartsville, SC

CareSouth Carolina is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified individuals, without regard to race, color, age, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.