Wise & Healthy Aging

We appreciate your support for three critical programs serving Long Beach seniors and adults with disabilities: the Elder Abuse Prevention Program, the Holistic Elder Abuse Response Team, and our Long-Term Care Ombudsman Services. Every dollar will support vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities in Long Beach.

Our Long Beach Focused Services:

Holistic Elder Abuse Response Team (HEART)

Did you know that elder abuse affects 1 in 10 older adults and increases the risk of death, hospitalization, illness, and mental health symptoms, including anxiety and depression. Our HEART team supports survivors of elder and dependent adult abuse in Long Beach. 

Types of Situations When Advocates Assist:

• We help adults aged 60+ and any adult aged 18+ with disabilities who are victims of crime or have experienced abuse.
• Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse includes physical, sexual, financial, mental/emotional abuse, and neglect.

How We Help Clients:

• Individual and group counseling
• Restraining orders
• Safety planning
• Court accompaniment
• Case management
• Advocacy to ensure clients receive necessary services
• Emergency financial support for food, transportation, new door locks, etc.
• We provide workshops, training, and presentations to community agencies on preventing elder and dependent adult abuse and what individuals can do when abuse occurs. Some workshops focus on scam and fraud prevention.
• We organize an annual Awareness Walk and Resource Fair in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day at the Long Beach Senior Center.

Where Do We Meet with Clients?

• We meet people where they are and where it is safe, including their homes, parks, other public spaces, cafes, police departments, or our project office.

How Do Clients Find Us?

• We partner with the Long Beach Police Department and have a desk in a police station to collaborate with elder abuse detectives and officers. LBPD provides us with referrals to connect with persons experiencing abuse.
• In addition to LBPD, we receive referrals from Adult Protective Services and other partners in the local victim services and aging network.

Advocating for the Rights of Residents in Long-Term Care:

An Ombudsman listens to a resident’s concerns, provides information and assistance when requested, and investigates and resolves complaints related to care or personal rights for residents in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.  

The representatives of the Wise & Healthy Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocate for residents occupying the more than 229,000 beds in long-term care facilities throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. In Long Beach, there are 49 Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (also known as Assisted Living Facilities) with a capacity for 2,117 residents and 26 Skilled Nursing Facilities with a capacity for 3,169 residents.

These facilities include nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly (also known as assisted living or board and care facilities).

Wise & Healthy Aging oversees ombudsman services in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties as part of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, authorized under the federal Older Americans Act and its California companion, the Older Californians Act.

Complaints an Ombudsman Can Address

• Abuse and neglect
• Inappropriate unsafe transfers and discharges
• Staff are rough when providing care
• Staff are discourteous
• Not getting mail or phone calls
• Questions about Medicare or Medi-Cal not being answered
• Wrong medications given
• Nutrition and dietary concerns
• Heating or air conditioning problems
• Activities are boring or non-existent
• Personal property is lost or stolen
• Slow response to call lights
• They have not seen a physician in months
• Hearing aids and/or eyeglasses are missing
• Residents’ rights are being ignored
• Lack of participation in care plan
• Issues with physical therapy
• Discrimination against residents in the LGBTQ community

Ombudsman Services

Our Ombudsman team educates residents and their families about their rights, help to resolve complaints and address a variety of issues.  All calls are confidential.

• Advocacy: Presenting and promoting residents’ concerns to a facility’s administration, regulatory agency, legislators and policy makers.  
• Investigation: Investigating complaints made by or on  behalf of residents.
• Conflict Resolution: Assisting parties to reach agreements and resolve conflicts with the residents’ satisfaction as the focus.  
• Unannounced Visits: Making facility visits to be available to residents, as well as monitoring facility conditions.
• Education: Promoting resident and families awareness  of their rights, including any pertinent State or Federal regulations. Providing consultations to facilities on how to preserve residents’ rights.
• Witness to Documents: Witnessing of resident signatures on Advance Health Care Directives, (required by the Probate Code), for residents of nursing homes only.