OMB Control No.: _____

Expiration Date: _____

Outcome Evaluation of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program 

(LTCOP)

RESIDENT / FAMILY MEMBERS FOCUS GROUP GUIDE

Introductory Script

Hello, my name is ____________________________. I am a researcher from NORC at the University of 

Chicago, located in Bethesda, MD. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this group discussion. 

[Introduce colleague—second site visitor.] 

We are here today because the Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging (ACL/AoA) 

has contracted with NORC and our partners to conduct an evaluation of the Long-Term Care 

Ombudsman program. As part of the study, we are interested in learning about resident’s and their 

representative’s experience with and perspectives on the program. We are especially interested in how 

you heard about the program, your interactions with your ombudsman and your perceptions of the 

program’s effectiveness. These focus groups will provide important information on how the program is 

implemented at the facility-level. 

I want to remind you that your participation in the group discussion is voluntary. You can refuse to 

answer any question that you do not wish to answer. This session will last about an hour and fifteen 

minutes and is a discussion, not a survey, so feel free to respond to what others are saying. 

We ask everyone here today to respect each other’s privacy. What is said in this room should stay in this 

room. A summary of this discussion and other discussions conducted at other facilities will be included in 

a report to the Administration for Community Living, but the individual information you give us will be kept 

entirely private. We will use only first names in today’s discussion and we will not tell program staff what 

you say. The information that you tell us will not affect your relationship with the program in any way.

We value the information you will share with us today and want to make sure we capture all of it. 

Therefore, we will record the session, and [name of person] will take notes on a laptop. We will delete the 

recording as soon as we have made complete notes of the meeting, and those notes will not use your 

names. Do I have your permission to record this discussion? 

Do you have any questions or concerns about what we plan to do?

PAUSE AND ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS

Discussion groups like this may be new to some or all of you—so let me make a few general points about 

what to expect. As the facilitator, I will ask questions and moderate the conversation. It’s important for all 

of you to speak up and participate so we can have an informative discussion. This will be informal; there 

are no right or wrong answers to the questions we ask. We are interested in learning each of your 

opinions. In the past, most people have told us they enjoy these discussion groups because it gives them 

a chance to share their experiences and hear about others’ experiences. 

We will talk for about an hour and fifteen minutes and at the end of the discussion, there is a very brief

background information form for each of you to complete. 

We very much appreciate your willingness to come today and share your thoughts about the Ombudsman 

Program. Are there any questions before we get started? 

To start, ask, “Does everyone know each other?” And then go around the room with first name 

introductions. 
OMB Control No.: _____

Expiration Date: _____

Discussion Group Guide 

1. Do you know who your Ombudsman is (alternatively, find out name of Ombudsman and ask)? Do 

you know what the Ombudsman program is?

2. How and where did you learn about the Ombudsman program?

a. Is there a poster in the facility that describes the Ombudsman program? Is there 

information on how to contact the Ombudsman program? Where is it located?

3. Do you understand what the Ombudsman program does? Can you tell us what they do?

4. Does your facility have resident or family councils?

a. Does the Ombudsman play a role in supporting the development of these councils? 

b. Do you participate on the council? If so, what sort of topics do you discuss? 

c. If you do not have a resident or family council, would you like your facility to have one?

5. Has the Ombudsman or anyone else spoken to you about your resident rights?

a. If not the Ombudsman, who spoke with you?

b. Can you list one or two resident rights?

6. If you have a problem with your care in a facility, who do you contact? 

7. Have you ever interacted with the Ombudsman? 

8. What was the purpose of your interaction? 

a. How helpful did you find this interaction?

b. Was the Ombudsman knowledgeable about the issue that was raised?

9. Have you ever asked the Ombudsman for help with a problem?

a. Did the Ombudsman respond to your concern/problem/complain in a timely manner?

b. Was the Ombudsman helpful in addressing your issue?

10. In general, are residents aware of who their Ombudsman is in this facility? 

11. Are there areas where you would like more support from the Ombudsman? 

12. Based on your experience, what do you think are the best features of the Ombudsman Program?

13. How could the Ombudsman program be improved to better serve residents?

14. Is there anything that you want to know about the Ombudsman program?

15. Is there anything else you would like to discuss about your experience with the Ombudsman 

program? 

Thank residents and family members/resident representatives for their participation and hand out 

background information forms.