All ombudsman are required to attend three family councils, if invited, during the federal fiscal year (Oct 1st-Sept. 30th). If there is a set schedule with the facilities and the family council meetings, it should be provided to the State Ombudsman so as to give opportunity for the Office to attend. Notification should also be given to the State Ombudsman if there is no existence of any family councils at one or more facilities. If there are no active family councils in the participating districts, they should be strongly encouraged by the Ombudsman. The LTCO should contact the leadership person of the active family council and offer to attend their meetings and offer any appropriate resources. The LTCO should also provide topics it is prepared to present if requested.
Document every participation at a family council at each long-term care facility in WellSky as "Work with family council" under Program Activities, including the facility name, number of contacts, time spent, travel time and other NORS required fields. Any notable event should be included in the activity comment section. If complaints are made, then a case should be opened as well. If more than one Ombudsman attends a meeting, it should only be counted as one activity for NORS reporting.
18 Miss. Code. R. 26-4-K