The Pennsylvania Department of Aging’s Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman announced it is partnering with AARP Pennsylvania to offer communication devices to long-term care facilities that will help residents increase contact with their family and friends.

With support from the Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, this pilot program will provide cellphones and tablets to 46 skilled nursing facilities in 40 counties where resident advocates known as Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents or a facility’s staff member had expressed a need for phones/tablets and have made a commitment to support the appropriate use of the devices.

Nineteen devices will go to facilities identified as Special Focus Facilities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and/or are operating under provisional licenses.

With 73 local ombudsmen in communities across Pennsylvania, the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates and empowers long-term care residents to resolve complaints and issues on a case-by-case basis.

Volunteers who support the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman recently launched a new resource called the Virtual Family Council, which offers families a chance to virtually connect with a local ombudsman and other experts to ask questions and discuss protocols, rights and procedures for their loved ones in long-term care facilities.

The meetings are held weekly and do not address specific issues regarding a resident or a facility.

Anyone interested in joining the meetings can email jarotz@pa.gov and indicate “Virtual Family Council” in the subject line.

Learn more about the LTC ombudsman and various programs offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging at aging.pa.gov.