The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program assists residents of nursing homes and advocate on their behalf. Ombudsman staff visit nursing homes and speak with residents throughout the year, working to make sure that the residents' rights are being upheld. The state inspection team gets information from the ombudsman about problems in the facilities. The Louisiana program began in 1971 and is funded on the federal level by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. Every state has its own ombudsman program.
Some states use community volunteers in addition to paid staff.
Ombudsmen can also help with allegations of abuse by contacting the property authorities to investigate. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education oversees the state's involvement in public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. The Louisiana Board of Regents is the overall coordinating board for state-operated postsecondary educational institutions in the state. It is the coordinating board over the other boards of higher education. The Southern University System Board of Supervisors governs Southern University campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport and the Southern Law Center.