[Archived] Advocates Needed for Alexandria Senior Citizens

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	June 2, 2005 PIO# 186-05/bg	Nancy Cavicke, 703.324.5435, or Intake Line 703.324.5861 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

Advocates Needed for Alexandria Senior Citizens

Volunteers are needed by the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to serve as advocates for Alexandria senior citizens. Many long-time, vibrant citizens of Alexandria now reside in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities and appreciate having an advocate from “the outside” assisting them with their concerns.

Volunteers dedicate four hours per week to this work, for one year. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program will be conducting interviews of applicants during the summer. The next annual training session is scheduled for Sept. 12, 13, and 23, from 9 am to 4:30 pm each day. Following assignment, ongoing training and support are provided. The ombudsman program is funded in part by the Alexandria Area Agency on Aging. For further information and an application, call 703.324.5435, or visit . To request accommodations or alternate formats, call 703.324.5435 or TTY: 703.449.1186.

Volunteers need to be diplomatic, assertive, and a good communicator, enjoy meeting people and can serve during the weekday. Using the skills of listening, observing and mediating, the volunteer ombudsman makes weekly visits to a specific facility and works with the residents, their families and the staff to ensure that the residents’ rights are being protected.