By Delisi H.C.R. No. 92 75R4850 JHS-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives and Senate are 1-2 proud to recognize February 25, 1997, as Long-Term Care Ombudsman 1-3 Day in Texas; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Approximately 96,000 Texans who are elderly and 1-5 disabled live in and are cared for by the state's 1,160 licensed 1-6 nursing homes, and many of them have no family or regular visitors 1-7 who routinely check to assure that they are receiving the most 1-8 appropriate care to meet their needs; and 1-9 WHEREAS, The Texas Department on Aging's ombudsman program 1-10 seeks to fill this void by providing advocacy efforts in behalf of 1-11 long-term care residents; these residents benefit greatly from 1-12 regular contact with the program's trained and certified volunteers 1-13 and often experience a renewed sense of self-esteem as a result; 1-14 and 1-15 WHEREAS, More than 700 individuals have been specially 1-16 trained by the department and by the state's 28 area agencies on 1-17 aging, and these ombudsmen help to enhance residents' quality of 1-18 life and general well-being by promoting regular communication with 1-19 other residents, assisting in complaint resolution, and providing 1-20 information about long-term care facilities; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Thanks to advances in medical technology, Americans 1-22 are living longer, more productive lives, and this trend is 1-23 unlikely to change; as more and more individuals seek quality care 1-24 in their golden years, the need for ombudsman volunteers will 2-1 become greater, and the dedicated citizens who provide this 2-2 valuable service are certainly to be commended; now, therefore, be 2-3 it 2-4 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-5 hereby designate February 25, 1997, as Long-Term Care Ombudsman Day 2-6 in Texas and extend sincere thanks to the many generous individuals 2-7 who volunteer their time to the Texas Department on Aging's 2-8 ombudsman program.